[Raleigh, NC] - Shaw trailed by as much as 11 points, but rallied back and upset #12 Bowie State 83-73 in a game played at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium Thursday night.

The win, which improves Shaw's record to 11-2, 3-0 in the CIAA, is their first over a ranked team this season and is their seventh straight win.

"It is a huge win for us," said Shaw head coach Cleo Hill, Jr.  "It's the first time I've beaten Bowie.  This is a huge win for the program."

With a new starting lineup featuring Devon Mclendon, Malik Alvin, Karron Johnson, Tony Smith and Junius Chaney, the Bears struggled out of the gate, but found an up-tempo rhythm in the second, taking a lead early in the second and holding off the Bulldogs the rest of the game.

"I think that group needed to find chemistry early," said Hill.  "I didn't think we shared the ball well and we didn't push the ball in transition.  In the second, we defended well, got the ball in transition and finished.  It was all linked together."

The Bears, who lead the CIAA in shooting percentage, sank only 39.4 percent of their shots, but roared back in the second, hitting 53.1 percent.  They finished the night 30 of 65 for a 46.2 percentage rate.  In contrast, the Bulldogs hit over 40 percent each half, finishing the game 25 for 60 for a 41.7 shooting percentage.

In the first half, the Bulldogs had the advantage early.  In less than four minutes, Bowie State built a 16-5 lead over the Bears with Travis Hyman scoring 11 of the BSU points.    

With 10:39 left in the first, Dameatric Scott hit a three pointer that gave Bowie State the 23-12 lead.  Shaw then made their first real offensive run of the night.  Mclendon hit four straight points to spark what would become an eight-point run that cut the Bulldog lead to three, 23-20, with 8:12 left.

Bowie spent the next three minutes rebuilding their lead and with 3:49 left, Jay Gavin hit a jumper to extend their lead to nine.

As the half closed, though, Shaw fought back.  With 1:12 left, Curtis Hines took a pass from Alvin on the fastbreak and sank the layup to pull the Bears within two.  BSU closed out the half with a Bryan Wilson layup to take a 33-29 lead into the half.

The Bears opened the second with a 10-2 run, turning the four-point deficit into a four-point lead in two and a half minutes.  When Johnson set the crowd on fire with a thundering dunk, Shaw took a 39-35 lead. 

Byron Westmoreland hit a layup to end the Bear scoring run and cut the Shaw lead to two, but the Bulldogs would not get as close the rest of the game.

With 4:22 left in the game, Darren Clark hit a pair of free throws for the Bulldogs, trimming the Shaw lead to 62-59.  In the next minute, the Bears would score seven straight - including a three from Alvin, who had 19 points in the second half alone.  With Alvin's three, the Bears took a 69-59 lead.

The two teams battled evenly for the rest of the game, with the Bears claiming the 83-73 victory.

Four of the five Shaw starters finished the night in double figures.  Alvin had 21, Mclendon 20, Chaney 13 and Johnson 11.  Smith had only four points, but finished with nine assists and eight rebounds.  Mclendon led the Bears with 9 rebounds. 

Westmoreland finished the night with 20 points for the Bulldogs, while Hyman tossed in 18 and Scott had ten.  Hyman, Darren Clark, and Westmoreland had six rebounds apiece to pace Bowie State.  Clark led BSU with seven assists.  With the loss, Bowie State drops to 9-3 on the season, 1-2 in the CIAA.

The Bears return to action Saturday as they travel to Murfreesboro, NC, to take on Chowan.  Tip is at 4:00 p.m.  and the game will be televised by Urban Sports.  They return home on Thursday, January 19 when they host Lincoln (PA).  Game time Thursday is at 7:30 p.m. at the C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.