(Richmond, VA) – Only one team could hit a third of its shots, and both suffered from long scoring droughts that shifted the led from one team to the other, but in the end Shaw overcame poor shooting to down Virginia Union 53-45.

Shaw (9-5, 2-1 CIAA) rebounded from a loss on Saturday and a halftime deficit against Virginia Union, and overcame 31 percent shooting to capture the win. Virginia Union (0-9, 0-2 CIAA) managed to hit one third of their field goal attempts, but could sink only one of 13 from beyond the arc.

Shaw shared the three point woes in the first half. Unable to get inside, the Lady Bears launched 17 three point shots, but only made two.

With just under three minutes gone in the half, the two teams were tied at six points, but the Lady Bears then went on an 8-1 run over the next six minutes. For the next three minutes, the Lady Bears failed to find the bottom of the net as the Lady Panthers ran off six straight to cut the Shaw lead to one at 14-13.

After a period of relative offensive normalcy, where the two teams exchanged buckets and neither team took more than a three point lead, Virginia Union grabbed a 21-20 lead with 5:10 left in the half.

But neither team would score for another two and a half minutes, when Kyria Buford hit a long jumper from outside the arc to give Shaw a 23-21 lead with 2:27 left in the half. It would be the last score the Lady Bears would have in the half as VUU finished the period on a six-point run to take the 27-23 lead into the locker room.

The second half continued much as the first, with scoring runs and droughts the rule rather than the exception. It took nearly two minutes before either team scored, when Brittany Ransom launched a three to cut the VUU lead to only one. Ninety seconds later, Jackie Sanders stole the ball and pulled up for a jumper to give the Lady Bears a 30-29 lead.

Shaw stretched the lead to seven, 38-31 on Buford's jumper with 13 minutes left in the game, but then both teams fell quiet. VUU got back on the board on a free throw from Yuvonna Stevens with 10:14 left, but the Lady Bears continued their seven and a half minute scoring drought until Sanders hit a three with 5:30 left on the clock to give Shaw the 41-38 lead.

With 2:59 left, Tiffany Clarke cut through the lane for a layup, cutting the Shaw lead to two points, 47-45, but that was the last bucket the Lady Panthers would score. The Lady Bears slowly increased their lead, helped by a flurry of fouls by VUU to try and stop the clock to put the final score at 53-45.

Ransom led the Lady Bears with 15 and Alyssa Lane had 11. Sanders led Shaw with 12 rebounds and Kyria Buford had ten.

Stevens had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Clarke had ten for Union.

The Lady Bears finish their three-game road trip on Thursday as they travel to Bowie State for a 5:30 tip. They next play at home on Saturday, January 15, when they host Chowan. Tip is at 6:00 p.m.

Photos:  Brittany Ransom (left) scored 15 for the Lady Bears.  Jackiey Sanders had eight points and 12 rebounds.