BLUEFIELD, WV - Senior Dominique Robinson scored a team-high 21 points off of the bench for Salem International University on Saturday afternoon. Robinson's performance would be out-done by Bluefield State College's Julian Hernandez, who dropped 23 points en route to a 72-69 victory for the Blues in NCAA Division II men's basketball action. 

The Tigers head to Tiffin, Ohio next Thursday (Feb. 9) for a 7 p.m. contest against the Tiffin Dragons. SIU returns home on Wednesday (Feb. 15) for a 7 p.m. tip-off against Malone University. It will be the first, and only, meeting this season between the two teams.

Robinson was one of four Tigers who finished with double-digits on Saturday afternoon. He added seven rebounds and two blocks to his stats before recording a fifth foul in the game. Senior Victor Blakey dropped 15 points and handed-out six assists for SIU, while juniors Ignacio Rodriguez and Saquan Epps each tallied 11 points for the Tigers.

Hernandez and Marcus Richardson (19 points) paced the Blues, who defeated the Tigers for the second-time this season. The two combined to drain 15 of the Blues' 26 buckets in the game. Josh Windham chipped-in 13 points, five assists, and a team-high six rebounds for Bluefield.

Both teams would alter their style's of play in the first-half as the three-ball wasn't the accurate shot. The Blues went 3-of-13 from downtown in the opening stanza with Hernandez accounting for each of them. Salem International finished 2-of-10 from three-point range in the half with Blakey and Rodriguez each hitting a trey.

The first-half was a back-and-forth contest with the Tigers leading by as many as five points with 9:14 remaining in the half. Sophomore Drew Pitzer connected on 1-of-2 free-throws for SIU with 1:53 remaining in the half to give the Tigers a three-point lead (35-32). Hernandez would answer with a trey to knot the game 35-35 with 1:39 left. Blakey converted a layup in the paint to give the Tigers a 37-35 lead, one that would hold until the buzzer sounded, sending the teams to their respective locker rooms.

Turnovers would plague the Tigers in the second-half as nine miscues led to 14 points being scored for Bluefield. The Blues made good on their trips to the charity stripe as well, going 9-of-11 while the Tigers went 5-of-6. Richardson guided the Blues offense in the second-half, going 3-of-4 from the floor, 2-of-3 from downtown, and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. 

Bluefield built its largest lead of the contest (five points) with 3:31 remaining and would have just enough in the gas tank to close-out the Tigers. The Blues would only score three points, at the free-throw line after taking their five point lead. SIU came to within one point (70-69) after a trey by Epps. The Tigers found themselves with posession of the basketball and the game in their hands after a rebound by Pitzer and a timeout. 

Rodriguez, looking to draw-up a play with nine ticks left on the clock, would turn the ball over to the Blues as he was called for a travel. Bluefield hit a pair free throws after being fouled with eight seconds left to seal the 72-69 victory. Pitzer would find himself at the top of the key and launch a potential game-tying shot as the buzzer sounded, only to see it hit the back of the rim and carom away.  

Salem International finished the contest 27-of-47 from the floor, 5-of-16 from three-point range, and 10-of-15 at the free-throw line. Bluefield State finished 26-of-62 from the floor, 7-of-27 from downtown, and 13-of-16 at the charity stripe. The Tigers out-scored the Blues 40-30 in the paint and pulled-down 29 boards to the Blues' 27. The score was tied six times while the lead changed hands ten times.