(Raleigh, NC) - Dwight Bell had a career-high 27 points and Tony Smith had a triple-double as Shaw defeated Livingstone 89-79.  The win comes only ten days after Livingstone downed Shaw by three points in Salisbury.

Shaw (13-7, 6-5 CIAA) won their third straight - with their third straight offensive outburst of more than 85 points.  Livingstone (12-7, 8-3 CIAA), who came into the game as the CIAA leader in three-point defense, allowed Shaw to shoot 50 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bears shot well from all areas of the court, hitting 31 of 55 (56.4 percent) from the floor, and balancing inside and outside with 34 points in the paint and 27 from beyond the arc.

Despite the hot shooting, the Bears would often build leads then let the Blue Bears back into the game.  But after the opening minutes, Shaw didn't give up the lead, at one point leading by as many as 19.  The Blue Bears held the lead only twice, both in the opening minute of the game.

The two teams battled evenly throughout the first seven minutes of the game, with Darius Cox hitting a dunk for Livingstone to tie the game at 14 with 13:01 left in the half.

Tony Smith and Devon Mclendon hit back-to-back threes to give the Bears a six-point lead - a lead that they never gave up.  Livingstone came close to tying the score later in the half.  With 8:10 left, Cox hit a pair of free throws to cut the Shaw lead 24-22.

Raheem and Tony Smith each hit a three to stretch the lead back to eight with 6:34 left in the first.  Four minutes later, Raheem Smith hit a layup to stretch the lead to ten with 2:05 left in the half.  In the closing two minutes, the Blue Bears outscored Shaw 8-2 to cut the lead to four.

Livingstone held Shaw close through the opening minute of the second half, and with 19:05 left in the game, Cox hit a layup to again cut the Shaw lead to four, 45-41.

Over the next six minutes, fueled by eight points from Bell and seven from Raheem Smith, the Bears tore off a 20-5 run that extended the lead to 19 - 65-46 with 11:24 left in the game.

The Blue Bears then went on a 14-5 run, cutting the Bear lead to ten with 6:37 left.  Shaw scored the next four points, then the two teams battled evenly.  With 3:21 left, Raheem Smith hit a pair of free throws to give the Bears a 14-point lead.

Trone Jackson then went on a scoring spree for Livingstone, tallying seven points versus a single Tony Smith free throw to cut the Shaw lead to eight with 2:12 to go.  The Bears did not score another field goal, but went eight for ten from the free throw line in the closing minutes to give them the final ten-point margin.

Bell's 27 points led both teams.  Tony Smith had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists for the triple-double for the Bears.  Raheem Smith had 23 points of his own and Mclendon finished the night with 13. 

Jackson finished the game with 23 for Livingstone.  Greg Henry had 14 and both Donte Durant and Cox had 12.  Cox led the Blue Bears with nine rebounds and Jackson and Quintin Redfern had three assists apiece.

On Saturday, the Bears host Johnson C. Smith in a game that will tip at 8:00 p.m. at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.

Photos:  Dwight Bell (left) had 27 points to lead the Bears, while Tony Smith (right) had a triple-double.