ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (Jan. 30, 2019) – Elizabeth City State held off Virginia Union over the final 10 minutes for a 60-57 CIAA victory in the Robert L. Vaughan Center.
 
Sophomore guard Justin Faison netted a game-high 17 points with four rebounds and three steals and junior forward John Maynor scored 13 to help the Vikings (11-11, CIAA 7-4, North Div. 1-3) snap a three-game skid.  The duo sank all six of ECSU's 3-point baskets as the Vikings outscored the Panthers (11-9, CIAA 7-3, North Div. 2-2) by 15 points from beyond the arc.  Virginia Union made just one of 10 long-range jumpers.
 
Junior center Tyjhai Byers finished with nine points and game highs of nine rebounds and four blocked shots while senior guard Shyheid Petteway chipped in eight points.  Sophomore guard Omar Roberts equaled his career high with a game-high nine assists.
 
Junior guard Terrell Leach paced Virginia Union with 16 points while junior forward William Jenkins contributed 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Panthers pulled to within three points or less five times during the final 10 minutes, but the Vikings never gave up the lead.  With 2:34 left, senior guard Eric Bowles drove the right side of the lane for a layup which cut the Virginia Union deficit to 58-55.
 
In the frantic final minute, the Vikings allowed Leach to hit a layup with just five seconds remaining to slice the score to 58-57.  Forced to foul on the ensuing inbounds play, the Panthers fouled Maynor with four ticks left.  The junior knocked down both tries.
 
Virginia Union got the inbounds to midcourt for a timeout with 1.5 seconds on the clock for a final shot attempt to force overtime, but Leach's desperation heave from 35 feet out on the left wing bounced off the back iron to end the contest.
 
After falling behind 7-2 in the opening minutes, the Vikings rode the shooting of Faison and Maynor during a 29-11 run which staked ECSU to a 33-23 lead at the break.  Faison, who netted 10 points during the spree, started the spurt with a 3-point jumper and a pair of free throws.  Maynor, who had eight points during the rally, gunned in treys on back-to-back Viking possessions to up the lead to 33-21 with 1:50 left in the half.
 
ECSU visits CIAA foe Bowie State on Saturday for a women's and men's doubleheader.  The women tip off at 2 p.m. with the Viking and Bulldog men set to begin at 4 o'clock.