INDIANAPOLIS — Ketron Shaw scored 15 points and Jaylen Alston had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds to pace Winston-Salem State to a 64-47 victory over Virginia Union on Saturday in the NBA HBCU Classic.
Issac Parson added 10 assists for the Rams (17-8, 11-5 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association).
Tahj Harding led Virginia Union (11-17, 6-9 CIAA ) with 11 points. The Panthers struggled to score most of the second half.
The game between the two historically Black college and universities was played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the same court the NBA All-Stars will play on Sunday night.
Former Virginia Union standout Ben Wallace, a four-time NBA All-Star, was among those introduced to the crowd. Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, also was in attendance. He spoke earlier Saturday at a basketball clinic, as did some WNBA players, for girls between the ages of 7 and 17.
Emhoff makes no secret of his basketball fandom; he’s been a Los Angeles Lakers season ticket holder for years. In her 2019 memoir, Harris revealed that Emhoff initially reached out to her by a text message he sent from a Lakers game.
Kevin Durant, the who will represent the Phoenix Suns at Sunday’s All-Star Game, said it’s huge for the two teams to have the stage.
“It’s an opportunity for people around the country to see the type of talent they have at HBCUs,” Durant said. “There’s a lot of hidden gems there, great coaching, great talent up and down the board. If we can give them the platform to showcase their talents and skills, we need to do so. So I’m excited for them. Hopefully, this becomes an annual thing and we start to see more and more talent come out of HBCUs.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.