The Blue Bears (6-4, 3-0) jumped out to a 10-2 lead over the Trojans in the first four minutes of the game and never looked back. All-CIAAcenter Julie Tarrance scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the first half.

Some strong bench play by the Bears led to a 15-4 run at the end of the first half for a 39-16 advantage at intermission.

The Trojans showed some life in the second half, going on an 8-0 run. But a three-point play by Erica Deas broke the Blue Bear drought and dashed any hopes of a Trojan victory.

Deas, an all-CIAA sophomore, finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and a block.

“The keys to winning tonight’s game,” said Livingstone coach Andrew Mitchell, “is that we dominated the boards and we hit our free throws.”

The Bears outrebounded Virginia State 52-34 in addition to hitting 17-of-24 free throws.

Robyn Wright came off the bench to grab seven rebounds while Keneshia Jackson added five boards.

The Bears’ aggressive defense also made a difference, forcing 23 turnovers.

Chanel Edwards joined Tarrance and Deas in double figures with 13 in just 18 minutes. She was 7-of-8 from the line.

“This was a good win for us,” said Mitchell. “We have a chance to win all of our games if we can just control the game at the beginning and play hard for the full 40 minutes like we did tonight.”

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NOTES: Tarrance finished with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. ... Angela Thomas had five assists. ... Livingstone travels to Florence, S.C. to meet Francis Marion tonight. In an earlier meeting, FMUnipped Livingstone 64-60. ... In the South region rankings, Francis Marion is third and Livingstone eighth.

VIRGINIAST. (53) — Johnson 2, Bell 2, Contee 11, Proctor 2, Abdullah 12, Bailey 6, Pettiford 12, Evans 4, Cook 2

LIVINGSTONE(76) — Neblett 4, R.Jackson 4, K. Jackson 2, Deas 14, Williams 4, Edwards 13, Marsh 2, Linder 4, Thomas, Tarrance 18, Wright 5, Hicks 2, Foye, Webster 4.

Virginia St. 16 37 — 53