(Lincoln, PA) – Shaw fought off a Lincoln attack late in the first half, but eventually cruised past the Lions 74-46 in CIAA play. 

With CIAA leading scorer Raheem Smith still on the bench with an ankle injury, Shaw (11-5, 4-3 CIAA) got a breakout performance from Devon Mclendon who tossed in 24 points, including a dunk late in the second that sent the Lincoln fans heading for the doors.

Lincoln (1-12, 0-6 CIAA) took a two-point lead with just over five minutes left in the first half, but Shaw quickly distanced themselves and Lincoln failed to make a strong run in the second half.

Throughout much of the first half, the teams battled evenly.  Shaw built a seven-point, 16-9, lead, but the Lions fought back.  Quinton Hector hit two three-pointers on an eight-point Lincoln run that gave the Lions a 17-16 lead with 6:31 left in the half.

After the Lions took a two-point lead with 5:05 left in the first, Tony Smith hit a three that started a 14-2 run that closed out the first half, giving the Bears a 31-21 lead.

For the first half of the second period, the Lions fought evenly with the Bears, never allowing the Bears to extend the lead past 12, but never cutting the advantage to fewer than eight.  With 7:08 left in the game, Zane Oxley converted one of two free throw attempts to cut the Shaw lead to 49-39.

Mclendon then converted a free throw of his own and Jaime Boyer hit two three-pointers to help the Bears extend the lead. 

With 4:05 left in the half, Mooney hit a layup to cut the Shaw lead to 15 and send a charge through the crowd.  In the next minute, Mclendon hit a jumper, Boyer hit another three, then Tony Smith found Mclendon for a rim-shaking dunk that put the lead at 22 and sent the home fans heading for the doors.

The Bears closed out the game on a 16-1 scoring run.

Mclendon's 24 was the top for either team.  Dwight Bell tossed in another 13 for the Bears while Boyer finished with 11 points.  Darryl Johnson led Shaw with 13 rebounds. Tony Smith had 10 boards, and led Shaw with seven assists.

Mooney collected 23 points on the evening, while Hector finished with 12.   Hector and Dominique Stewart led the Lions with five rebounds apiece.

The Bears travel across Raleigh Saturday to take on cross-town rival Saint Augustine's at 4:00 p.m.

Photos:  Devon Mclendon (left) had a 24-point breakout performance while Tony Smith (right) had ten rebounds and seven assists to go with six points.