Bleu Devils Earn Second Place in YES HBCU Classic

ST. THOMAS, VI– (December 13, 2025) Virginia Union University used efficient shooting, a deep bench and a steady edge on the glass to pull away from visiting Dillard, 68–51, on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers led 31–23 at halftime and widened the gap after the break, outscoring Dillard 37–28 in the second half to close out the 17-point win. Virginia Union finished at 50.0% from the field (22-of-44) and hit 4-of-11 from three (36.4%), a sharp contrast to Dillard's 32.7% overall shooting (18-of-55) and 4-of-26 from deep (15.4%). That perimeter disparity helped Virginia Union control the flow even though the teams were close in turnovers (VU 14, Dillard 15).

Dillard's most consistent scorer was Devin Lewis, who posted 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting and added five rebounds, but the Bleu Devils struggled to find additional efficient offense. DeCarter Coleman (5 points on 2-of-11, 1-of-7 from three) and Christian Pichon (3 points on 1-of-5) were among those who couldn't get going from the floor, and Dillard's 26 team fouls contributed to Virginia Union's large parade to the line.

Virginia Union's scoring was balanced, with Tahj Harding providing a major lift off the bench by drilling 3-of-6 from three and finishing with 11 points in 11 minutes. Malachi Dark added 11 points on an efficient 4-of-6, and Elijah Scranton chipped in 10 points despite a tough night at the stripe (4-of-10). Bobby Gardner didn't make a field goal (0-of-2), but he made his impact at the free-throw line, scoring 9 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

The difference in depth showed up clearly in the totals: Virginia Union received 33 bench points compared to 20 for Dillard. The Panthers also won the rebounding battle 40–34, helping them withstand a near-even second-chance points margin (Dillard 11, VU 9) and maintain control throughout the second half.

Note: The period-by-period player tables included in the raw data appear duplicated/inconsistent, but the final score, team totals, and individual stat lines above align with the main box score provided.

-Bleu Devils-