CHARLOTTE — Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball erased a double-digit second half deficit and pulled within one in the final minute, but Virginia Union closed the game at the free-throw line to steal a 75-73 win in Brayboy Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

The Golden Bulls trailed by as many as 15 points early in the second half before mounting a steady comeback behind Marc Raye Jr. and Trey Pettigrew. Raye scored 15 points and dished out seven assists, while Pettigrew led Johnson C. Smith with 17 points, including a 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining that cut the deficit to 71–70.

Virginia Union answered with clutch free throws from Bobby Gardner, who scored 33 points and went 12 of 12 from the line. Gardner hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to push the lead back to five before Raye connected on a last-second 3-pointer to account for the final margin.

JCSU shot 58.3% from the field and 7 of 14 from 3-point range. The Panthers scored 23 points off turnovers and held a 21–6 edge in second-chance points.

Jared Davis added 15 points and three blocks for Johnson C. Smith, and Jamauri Bryant finished with nine points and four assists.

Johnson C. Smith falls to 5–9 overall, while Virginia Union improved to 13–2 on the season.