Marauders beat Virginia-Lynchburg in season opener, 73-67
 

WILBERFORCE, Ohio – The Central State Marauders beat Virgnina-Lynchburg in Saturday's season opener, 73-67.
 

After a slow start resulted in a seven point deficit at the 6:20 mark of the first half, baskets by CSU guards Orion Monford and Alex Dotson sparked a 19-4 run for the Marauders to end the half. A Michael Reeves dunk gave the Marauders a 35-27 edge at intermission.
 

CSU opened the second half on a 10-1 run to extend their lead to 17. VUL methodically worked their way back into contention, chopping the lead down to just two, 56-54, with 6:50 remaining. CSU responded with a 8-2 run capped off by a Dustin Davis dunk to put the Marauders up 64-56 with 4:26 remaining.
 

The Marauders managed to hang on down the stretch as a late fastbreak dunk by Brad Lewis sealed the six-point win.
 

Lewis led CSU scorers with 18 points along with six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Raymon Adams and Reeves both recorded double-doubles in the win. Adams finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Reeves pulled down 17 rebounds along with 12 points and three blocks.
 

As a team, CSU made 26 of 53 shot attempts (48%) while holding VUL shooters to 22 makes on 76 attempts (28.9%). The Marauders were also able to combat a lackluster 18-13 performance from the free throw line (62%) by outrebounding VUL, 49-35, and outscoring the Dragons in the paint, 40-18.
 

Improving to 1-0 on the season, the Marauders will have a week to prepare for next Saturday's home game against the University of the Virgin Islands.
 
 

THE BASICS


Score: Virginia-Lynchburg - 67; Central State - 73
Records: Virginia-Lynchburg (0-2); Central State (1-0)
Location: Wilberforce, Ohio
 
 


QUOTES FROM COACH ANTONIO O. DAVIS
 

"We are dedicated to play a disciplined brand of basketball. I am confident that we will get better and learn from the film as we get ready for our next game. We had some guys out tonight but that is never an excuse. I look for everyone to be better next Saturday against a talented University of Virgin Islands team."
 

"As a young team, we have a long way to go. We have a lot to learn and will look to cut down on the mental errors as we move forward."


"I thought our older guys did a good job of adjusting and doing what we asked them to do while our freshmen had some good moments throughout the afternoon. Mike Reeves had a double-double and freshmen Raymon Adams and Brad Lewis showed their athleticism and ability to score in transition."
 

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE


CSU played its first regular season basketball game in over 613 days. The 2020-2021 season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 

CSU head coach Antonio O. Davis made his Central State debut on Saturday.
 

CSU outscored VUL in the paint, 40-18.
 

CSU forward Michael Reeves set a career-high with 17 rebounds on Saturday.
 
 
Eight CSU players logged action on Saturday with all but one scoring.
 

CSU honored campus police officer Jeananna Diaz during halftime on Saturday. On October 20, Officer Diaz took quick-action and performed life-saving measures including chest compressions to a student who collapsed and stopped breathing with no pulse. Through Diaz's actions, the student was able to regain a faint pulse. The student, who later was diagnosed with a rare respiratory disease was revived and is currently on his way to recovery. Cardiologists credit Central State officer Diaz for saving the students life and allowing him time to get to the hospital for treatment.