ETTRICK, Va. – Shepherd University (1-0) held off Virginia State (0-1) for a 64-62 victory in men's basketball action at the Trojan Tip-Off Classic at Virginia State in the season opener for both schools on Friday night.

Junior guard Marcus Banks (Clinton, Md./Riverdale Baptist) had a game-high 25 points to pace the Rams. He connected on 6-of-17 field goals with a 13-of-15 effort from the foul line. He added nine boards and game highs of five assists and four steals.

Freshman guard Colby White (Buckingham, Va./Blue Ridge) added 17 points. Sophomore guard Brody Davis (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) tossed in seven points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Daouda Traore (Silver Spring, Md./Clinton Grace Christian/St. Thomas Aquinas) contributed eight points, four rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Brandon Hilliard had 13 points and William Hopkins had 11 to pace the Trojans.
 
The game was tied at halftime, 30-30.
 
The Rams led by as many as 10 points in the second half. The Rams led by five points at 61-56 after a pair of free throws by White with 1:04 left. The Trojans got a Michael Cooper free throw and dunk by Hilliard to close to within two points at 61-59. Traore scored on a layup for the Rams and Hilliard countered with a three-pointer for the Trojans with 45 seconds left to cut the lead to 63-62. Davis hit 1-of-2 free throws in the game's final seconds to cap the win.

Shepherd connected on 40.4 percent (21-52) of its field goals with a 30.8 percent (4-13) performance from three-point range. The Rams drained 72 percent (13-18) of their free throws.

Virginia State shot 36.5 percent (25-63) from the floor with a 27.3 percent (3-11) effort from beyond the arc. The Trojans hit 72.2 percent (13-18) from the foul line.

Shepherd had a 35-30 edge in rebounds. The Rams forced 14 turnovers and committed 18.

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they face Winston-Salem State at 5 p.m. in final day classic action.