Bowie State’s run in the 2022 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament run to an end Wednesday night as the Bulldogs were edged by the No. 1 seeded Virginia Union 53-52 at Royal Farms Arena.
The Panthers (22-6) started off the game with a 7-4 lead when Robert Osborne connected on 1-of-2 free throws. Bowie State trailed the Panthers for 13 minutes until a layup from McCullough capped off an 8-3 run, tying the game at 15-even.
A free throw from senior Justin Route gave the Bulldogs its first lead of the game but the lead changed five more times before BSU closed out the half on a 3-0 run to lead 28-24 at halftime.
In the second half, Bowie State built a double-digit lead on a 15-6 scoring spread to lead by as many as 13 points at the 9:44 mark but the Panthers plowed away at the Bulldogs lead on nine free throws in a span of over three minutes. A turnover from the Bulldogs turned into a 3-pointer for the Panthers as VUU closed the gap to one (51-50) with 2:37 remaining.
The Bulldogs (8-21) only scored one more time in the final two minutes when Kobby Ayetey hit 1-of-2 free throws but VUU hit two free throws on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 52-all. After another Bowie State miscue, the Panthers were sent back to the line where Darius Hines hit 1-of-2 to give VUU the one-point lead with 40 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity to either tie or win the game but after sophomore Anthony Carpenter caught contact from a defender, the ball went out of bounds – resulting in a turnover for Bowie State. Although, the Panthers went to the line again, VUU missed both and still BSU had another chance but the Bulldogs couldn’t get the jumper off in time as time expired.
Carpenter finished with 15 points while sophomore David McCullough added 13 points and six rebounds. Junior Quinton Drayton aided 10 points and eight rebounds to round out the double figure scoring for Bowie State.
Courtesy: Bowie State Athletics
