McNeill’s 30 Points Lift Vuu to Hard-Fought Win

February 07, 2019

Virginia Union University's Shareka McNeill scored 30 points as VUU held off upset-minded Chowan University 55-51 on Saturday, February 2, at Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.

McNeill scored 16 points in the second half, including seven free throws, as the Lady Panthers held on for their 19th win of the season.

"It was a very exciting game with certainly a thrilling finish," said VUU Head Women's Basketball Coach AnnMarie Gilbert.  "We tip our hat to Chowan, who played a very gutsy game here in Barco-Stevens Hall.  I'm thrilled about how our young ladies finished the game.  We finished the game with a lot of character and a lot of pride in front of our home crowd.  This was a CIAA-type game.  This is what the tournament is going to be like, so I'm really excited about how we came back from being down at halftime to winning this game."

The game marked the fourth time this season that McNeill has scored 30 or more points in a game.

"This was a high-intensity game," McNeill said.  "Coach Gilbert tells us all of the time that every team is going to come in with their best defense or the best game, but this was great."

VUU's Jasmine Carter recorded eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

"It was a good game," Carter said.  "We stuck together as a team, and we had to be mentally tough just to get through that game."

The win raised VUU's record to 19-1 overall and 10-1 in CIAA play.  Chowan fell to 11-10 overall and 7-5 in the CIAA.

Virginia Union now continues it's current home stand when the Lady Panthers meet Winston-Salem State University at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 4, at Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.