pozo
Tom Wolf Imaging
78
Winner Villa Maria VILLA 13-1
73
The Apprentice School TAS-MBB 7-7
Winner
Villa Maria VILLA
13-1
78
Final
73
The Apprentice School TAS-MBB
7-7
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Villa Maria VILLA 31 47 78
The Apprentice School TAS-MBB 30 43 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Johnathan Snyder, Sports Information Director

Pozo Scores 21 as #1 Villa Grinds Past #9 Apprentice, 78-73

Taylor posts second double-double of the season with big second half

NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Jonathan Pozo scored a game-high 21 points and Lonnie Taylor had a monster second-half as #1 Villa Maria was able to grind out a 78-73 road victory over #9 Apprentice on Friday night inside the Apprentice School Athletic Center.  It was Villa's fifth straight win and second over the Apprentice School this season.

The game featured 10 lead changes and the score was tied six different times, but the Vikings (13-1) finished the game on an 8-3 run after the Builders (7-7) tied the game at 70 with 2:05 left.  Both teams overcame six point deficits in the second half.  They had just five turnovers in the second half which helped propel them to a gritty victory.

Pozo was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 7-of-14 from the floor en route to a season-high 21.  He added six assists, four rebounds and four steals and scored 11 of his 21 in the second half.  Taylor, who got in early foul trouble - picking up two fouls in the game's first three minutes - made up for the slow start, scoring 13 points and securing nine rebounds in just the second half.  He finished the game with 15 points and 10 boards, five in the offensive end.

Villa led 7-2 in the early stages of the first half but the Builders turned that around and into a seven-point advantage with just over six minutes left in the half.  Villa then scored seven straight points to tie the game at 24, before taking a one-point, 31-30 lead into the break.

Apprentice was once again able to gain an edge in the second half, leading 46-40 with 14:06 left, before Villa used a quick 7-0 run to regain the lead.  Sophomore Gerald Bibbs converted a layup after an offensive rebound before Pozo scored on the fast break to cut the deficit to two.  Pozo then hit a three with 12:02 left to take a 47-46 lead.  

After Taylor put the Vikings ahead by six with 8:28 left, Apprentice used a 7-0 run of their own to regain the lead, 61-60 with seven minutes left.  The two teams traded baskets over the ensuing two minutes before four-straight free throws - two from Bibbs and two from Pozo helped give the Vikings the lead for good.  Senior Dominic Douglas sealed the game with a 17-foot jumper with 38 seconds left.

Bibbs finished the game with 18 points off the bench for Villa.  The sophomore added seven rebounds, two steals and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.  Senior DeJaun Owens finished with 10 and Douglas chipped in eight.  Junior point guard Jabari Hibbert dished out six assists and also had six rebounds and five steals.

Junior Tommy Beaubrum came in with just over three minutes left in the first half and was instrumental in Villa gaining the edge before halftime.  With 2:27 left he halted an Apprentice offensive possession when he poked the ball away and came up with a steal along the sideline.  Moments later, with 1:23 left, he corralled an offensive rebound which led to a Bibbs layup.  Fellow junior Daniel Thompson scored all four of his points in the final stages of the second half.  He converted a fast-break layup after he came up with a steal to put the Vikings ahead 66-64.  Moments later he scored two free throws to put Villa ahead 70-68.  He finished the night off with the assist on the Douglas jumper with 38 seconds left.

Apprentice was paced by it's talented freshman Marion Moore who scored 20 on 9-of-14 shooting.  Drew Walton and Caleb Mielewski each had double-doubles while Brandon Joyner hit four threes and scored 15 off the bench.

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