Appiah-Kubi leads Lady Bucs in Big Win

The University of the Virgin Islands women and men basketball teams ended their three-game road trip with a visit to Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia. Both teams played well, but only one came away with a victory.

University of the Virgin Islands 80 – Truett McConnell University 60

Amber Appiah-Kubi scored a game-high 30 points in UVI’s win over Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia. (Clip from a photo of women’s basketball team submitted by UVI)

The Lady Bears of Truett McConnell University seem to run out of steam as they lost to the University of the Virgin Islands 80-60. This was a very close game for the first three quarters as the biggest lead for either team enjoyed over that time was only six points. In the fourth, the basket must have looked like a hula hoop to the Lady Bucs as they shot 50% from the field, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Conversely, the Lady Bears couldn’t throw it in the ocean making only one field goal in the entire fourth quarter. Instead, the Bucs outscored the Bears 32 to 6 in the closing period giving UVI a comfortable twenty-point win.

Amber Appiah-Kubi set the tone for the Buccaneers as she scored nine of her game-high 30 points in the opening quarter. She also handed out eight assists. Melea Lovelace added 15 points, while Kaeani Berry dropped 12 points and collected 13 rebounds for UVI. Re’Tavia Floyd led the Bears with 23 points. Quan Holton chipped in with seven points and 11 rebounds for Truett McConnell University.

Jamal Norris scored 25 points in UVI’s loss to Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia. (Clip from a photo of men’s basketball team submitted by UVI)

Truett McConnell University 93 – University of the Virgin Islands 81
The University of the Virgin Islands Buccaneers played well but not good enough to earn the win against Truett McConnell University Bears on Wednesday in the final game of this three-game road trip. LiWayne Richardson has been playing well on this trip, leading the Buccaneers with 33 points and 26 rebounds. However, the 6″10′ Center from The Valley, Anguilla, found himself in foul trouble, limiting his time on the court. Richardson picked up his third foul at the 11:11 mark of the first half, with the score knotted at 15. Richardson went to the bench for the rest of the first half, and the Bears went on a 29-15 run to close the opening period. The Buccaneers opened the second half on a 27-14 run fueled by Jamal Norris 14 points and Chris Williams 7 during that time. UVI was back in the game, only trailing by one point. The Bears then regained control of the game, pushing the lead to as many as 14 points in the final period. Truett McConnell University won the game 93-81.

E.J. Smith led the Bears with a game-high 31 points. Enocka Franky added 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Norris was the top scorer for UVI with 25 points. Chris Williams came off the bench and had another big game dropping 20 points. Will Boyd contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Buc in the loss.

The University of the Virgin Islands will host the Martin Luther King Classic at the Sports and Fitness Center against Rust College Bearcats. The Lady Buccaneers (7-4) will play Rust College (13-2) on January 16, 2022, at 2 p.m. AST. The Buccaneers (2-9) will face off against the Bearcats (7-8) on January 17, 2022, at 4 p.m. AST.