(Winston-Salem, NC) -  Kyria Buford had 30 points and helped Shaw build an early lead against Winston-Salem State, and the Lady Bears cruised to an 81-61 victory.

With the win, Shaw moves to 16-11, 9-7 in the CIAA and, critical for seeding in next week's CIAA Basketball Tournament, 5-4 in the Southern Division.  Winston-Salem drops to 15-10, 10-6 in the CIAA and is also 5-4 in the South.    With Saint Augustine's win over Johnson C. Smith Monday night, all three teams are tied for second.  JCSU has already clinched the top spot - and the first round bye in the tournament.

The Lady Bear defense held the Lady Rams to only 21 of 72 shooting for 29.2 percent on the game - their second straight game holding an opponent below the 30 percent mark.  Shaw countered by hitting 33 of their 66 shots for an even 50 percent.

The Lady Bears built an 11-point lead in less than five minutes when Buford sank a three to give the Bears a 15-4 lead with 15:07 still remaining in the first. 

Winston-Salem kept the game within reach, not allowing the Lady Bears to extend the lead beyond the 11 for most of the first half.

After Allyssa Lane hit a three for Shaw to give the Lady Bears a 29-19 lead with 8:39 remaining, neither team would score for another three minutes, when Janelle Harrison hit a layup with 5:35 left in the half.  She hit another layup to cap a seven-point scoring streak that stretched the Shaw lead to 14, 33-19.

After the Lady Rams trimmed the lead back to 11, the Lady Bears went on a tear, scoring eight straight, capped by another Buford three - this one on a fastbreak - to make the score 41-22 with 2:14 left to play in the half.

The Lady Bears would stretch the Lead to 21 just before the half, but a Jasmine Newkirk bucket with only six seconds remaining on the clock cut that lead back to 19 at the  half.

In the second, the Lady Bears never got the traction to increase the lead significantly.  Buford went on a 7-2 run against the Lady Rams to open the half, stretching the Shaw lead to 24.  The lead would eventually stretch to 26, but the Lady Rams chipped it back to the 19-point advantage.

While the Lady Bears could not lengthen the lead, neither could the Lady Rams trim it by much.  They got no closer than 16 at any point in the second. 

Buford led all scorers with 30 points.  Demaria Liles tossed in 13 of her own, while pulling down 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double.  Aslea Williams had 12 points.  Brittney Spencer led the Lady Bears with seven assists.

Newkirk led the Lady Rams with 23 points, while Vontisha Woods scored 16 and had 17 rebounds for a double-double of her own.  Woods and Rene Rector had four assists apiece to pace WSSU.

Shaw returns home Thursday, February 24 for their season ender - a matchup against cross-town rival Saint Augustine's.  Tip is 6:00 p.m. at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.  NOTE:  This game is being played as a single game, not a double header with the men.  The men play Saint Augustine's Saturday, February 26 at 6:00 p.m.

Photos:  Buford (left) had her season-high with 30 points and Aslea Williams (right) tossed in another 20.