Wilberforce Defeats Central State!

Trophy Back Home Where It Belongs!!!

After a stunning victory last night at CSU, the Bulldogs are again the rightful stewards of the historic Gaston "Country" Lewis Trophy.

ImagineMichigan and Ohio State being across the street from each other.  Now imagine all the energy that game brings with it packed into a gymnasium.  Now you have an idea about the rivalry between the Central State and Wilberforce basketball teams; Ohio’s two HBCUs separated by state route 42.

Wilberforce came out in control from the start, building a 44-34 lead at the half.  CSU erased a 10 point half-time deficit, seizing a 48-47 lead five minutes in the second half.

It would be a fight down the stretch with Wilberforce grabbing the biggest advantage at 69-62 with 3:51 to go on a pair of Romel Murray free throws.  CSU did manage to tie the game at 71-71 on a three point shoot.  The Bulldogs were able to get the ball back and set up the game winning play with 3.6 seconds left. 

We knew we didn’t have enough time to dribble the length of the floor, said Wilberforce Men’s Coach Geoffrey Warren.   We ran our “under four second” play, where we flash our big guy to half court and he has three options to pass and he found Craig Myree at the foul line who turned and scored the winning basket as time expired.
 Typical of these matchups, fans of both sides never sat or quieted down for any length of time.  “It was electrifying,” Wilberforce Coach Geoff Warren said, “You couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere.”

After the game, former Cleveland Cathedral Latin High School standout and Head Coach of the Wilberforce Bulldogs, were awarded the historic Gaston “Country” Lewis Trophy.

President Floyd Flake described the victory as a "sweet spot in the midst of a tough men's season." He continued, "No game means as much to either team as this one. We are arch rivals, we look across at one another's campus every single day. The beauty is the rivalry is particularly meaningful because we have a deep and abiding love for one another as sister universities, but it still feels great to win.

The rematch will take place on Wednesday, February 23rd at 3 p.m. in the Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH.