(RALEIGH, NC)- A game filled with turnovers, poor foul shooting, and other inconsistencies did not stop the Lady Bears from claiming their third conference win in five attempts this season by a count of 52-47.
Shaw (10-4, 3-2 CIAA) and Chowan (4-8, 1-3 CIAA) combined for 56 turnovers and 38 fouls, and neither team could break away from the other.
The first half the game was a tale of defenses. "We are playing well defensively, but not offensively," Shaw Head Coach Jacques Curtis said. "We need to find ways to pick up our offense. Since we are holding teams in the forties, we need to counter that with a strong offensive performance."
He continued, "If you cut out half of those 31 turnovers we had this game, that gives about 16 more shots and more opportunities to improve offensively and we know that is what we needed to do."
Neither Shaw nor Chowan could find their rhythm in the first half. Chowan shot 29.0% from the field, while the Lady Bears shot 35.7 %. Shaw offset their better shooting percentage with 16 turnovers in the first that lead to a total of ten Chowan points.
With 7:41 left in the first, Brittany Nicholson sank a pair of free throws to give the Hawks a 15-10 lead – which would be their largest lead in the half. The Lady Bears immediately went on an eight-point scoring streak with buckets from four different players.
Chowan tied the score quickly, then the two teams battled to the buzzer with Chowan hitting the locker room with a 23-22 lead.
After Chowan built a three-point lead with 17:30 left in the game, the Lady Bears took control of the game with a combination of stingy defense and the ability to run set pieces. With 9:09 left in the game, Aslea Williams hit a jumper in the lane to make the score 39-30, Shaw. Allyssa Lane hit a single free throw 15 seconds later to score the 13th straight point of the run and take the 10-point lead.
The Lady Bears went on a scoring drought in the late stages of the second half, and as a result, Chowan was able to cut their deficit to one when Ransheda Jennings hit the fastbreak layup with 5:42 left on the clock.
But, Shaw quickly answered with a three-pointer from Kyria Burford, and held off the Hawks in part of late free throws, despite hitting only 12 for 29 for the game.
Shaw was led by Kyria Buford's 13 points. Niesha Searles ran the offense for much of the evening, collecting five assists, while Aslea Williams led the Lady Bears with 11 rebounds.
Chowan was led by Ransheda Jennings' 17 points, four rebounds, and Najah Harris had six rebounds to lead the Hawks.
The Lady Bears take to the court again on Monday when they host Elizabeth City State for a 6:00 p.m. tip. The game will be held at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the campus of Shaw University.
Article by Ryan Jones, Intern from NCSU
Photos: Kyria Buford (left) launches a jumper in the first half of Shaw's game against Chowan. Aslea Williams (right) battles for a layup in the second half of the Chowan game.
