(Bowie, MD) –  Shaw had more rebounds and fewer turnovers, but could not match Bowie State's shooting – especially from beyond the arc – and fell to the homestanding Bulldogs 85-74.

Shaw (9-4, 2-2 CIAA) hit only 39 percent for the evening and, perhaps more importantly, hit only two of 15 three point attempts.  Bowie State (8-2, 3-0 CIAA) hit 11 of 20 from beyond the three-point line and finished the game with a 53.2 shooting percentage.

The first half of the game could be easily summarized by its closing minutes.  With 2:22 left in the half, Tony Smith's pass found Devon Mclendon in the lane for an easy layup, cutting the Bowie State lead to one, 37-36.

After a BSU turnover, Mclendon missed on a three, then Bowie State's Byron Westmorland hit a three.  Germann Bostic missed another three for the Bears, then Westmorland hit a jumper, was fouled, and converted the old-fashioned three – taking what was once a one-point deficit and turning it into seven in under two minutes.

Westmorland's first half included going seven of eight overall, including five of five from beyond the arc.  He scored 20 in the opening half, and helped his team build a 43-36 lead at the half.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Bulldogs increased their lead to 13 quickly when Travis Hyman hit two free throws with 18:02 left in the game.   For four minutes, the Bears played BSU evenly, still trailing by 11 with 14:06 left.

Over the next four minutes, the Bears scored ten unanswered points, cutting the lead to one on a pair of Mclendon free throws, 59-58.

The game's momentum would switch entirely in the next minute.  After a Westmorland layup put the score at 61-58 with 9:47 left in the game, Devon Mclendon was called for a foul, then disagreed, drawing a technical foul.  The Bulldogs sank two of the four awarded free throws, and continued what would become a ten-point scoring streak of their own to reclaim an 11-point lead with 8:38 left in the game.

The Bears scored the next four points, but could never cut the lead under six, only trimming the final deficit to 11 on a Jaime Boyer three with only two second left for the final of 85-74.

Tony Smith neared a triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.  Mclendon led the Bears with 16 points. Dwight Bell – playing in front of a home town crowd – added 13 and Raheem Smith had 12. 

Westmorland finished the game with 27 points to lead the Bulldogs.  Darren Clark had 15 and Hyman 13.  Clark led BSU with nine rebounds. 

The Bears return home Saturday against Chowan.  Tip is directly following the women's game, which begins at 6:00 p.m. at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.    

Photos:  Tony Smith (right) had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds while Dwight Bell (left) had 13 points.