The University of the Virgin Islands Women’s basketball team lost their first game of the season 62-44 to Wilberforce University after being outscored 30-11 in the second quarter and having their comeback effort fall short in the second half.
UVI led 10-6 at the end of the first quarter but Wilberforce scored thirteen of the second quarter’s first fifteen points to take a 19-12 lead with about five and a half minutes left in the first half. A three pointer by Wilberforce extended the margin between the sides to 10, 24-14 with four minutes left in the second quarter.
UVI cut the deficit to six points, 27-21, with just under two minutes left in the quarter but trailed 36-21 at the halftime break as Wilberforce finished the quarter on a 9-0 run. In total, UVI were outscored 30-11 in the second period.
The intermission did not stop Wilberforce’s momentum and they rallied off the first nine points of the second half to build a 45-21 lead in the first two minutes of the third quarter.
UVI’s defense held Wilberforce scoreless for about four minutes while scoring ten points to cut the deficit to 45-31 with 4:29 left in the third quarter. After a Wilberforce lay-up ended the scoreless drought for the visitors with just under 3:52 they did not score again for the third period and their previous 24 point lead halved to 12, 47-35, going into the fourth quarter.
UVI trailed 52-36 with just over seven minutes left in the game before scoring four points to get the deficit back to 12, 52-40, with 5:51 remaining in the fourth quarter but did not get closer for the remainder of the game.
The Lady Bucs had two players, Kaeani Berry and Kierra Neal, score 11 points in the loss. Berry also had 13 rebounds for UVI.
Amaiah Jones had 13 points, Lea Coulter had 11 points and Sydney Moore had 10 points for Wilberforce.
One of Wilberforce’s biggest advantages was their depth as their bench players outscored UVI’s substitutes 24-6. UVI had just seven players play compared to Wilberforce’s twelve.
UVI attempted 19 three pointers and made just 2 and committed 33 turnovers in the loss.
The Men’s game yielded the same result as the first three games of the season for the team as Warner University dominated the Bucs, 82-63.
While both teams started slow on offense, scoring just two points each in the game’s first four minutes, it was UVI that began to hit the target first and they went on a 6-0 run that gave them an 8-2 lead with just over 13 and half minutes left in the first half.
This lead did not last long as Warner tied the game at 11 with a pair of free throws with just under 11 minutes left in the first half. Jamal Norris responded for the Bucs and scored seven straight points, a pair of three-pointers and a free throw, that gave UVI an 18-11 lead with about nine minutes left in the first half.
After a Denny Gonzales dunk gave UVI a 22-18 lead with 4:39 left in the half, Warner closed the half by outscoring the Bucs 17-2 and led 35-24 at the halftime break.
Warner dominated the first three and half minutes of the second by going on a 10-2 run to build a 45-26 lead but UVI scored the next eight points to get back within 11 points with 15:16 left in the game.
Warner responded with a 25-5 run which put them up 31, 70-39, with about nine and a half minutes to go in the game and put the game out of reach for the Bucs.
While UVI slimmed the difference between the teams before the end of the game it was too little too late.
Norris led UVI in scoring with 26 points and Darryl Mercer led Warner in points with 24.
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