DURHAM, N.C.  - Shaw amassed nearly 500 yards of total offense Saturday afternoon - outgaining #2 Winston-Salem State by ten yards - but the defense gave up a number of big third-down plays and the offense failed to convert in critical situations, sending Shaw to a 62-31 defeat on Senior Day at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

"We didn't play well today.  The defense gave up big plays - we didn't tackle- and the offense didn't close.  And we had a lot of penalties that hurt us.  You can't do that against a team as good as Winston-Salem," said Shaw head coach Robert Massey.  "You can't win like that."

The Rams offense may have gained fewer yards, but they were seven of 14 on third downs, including four of the first five touchdowns being scored on third down plays. 

"Today third down was difficult for us.  We've been pretty good on that up until now," Massey said.  "We've got to win those battles.  We've got to get off the field on third down.  We didn't.  That cost us the game."

The game fell apart for the Bears in the second quarter.  Near the end of the first quarter, senior Antonio Dunn capped off a seven-play, 45-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run, which cut the WSSU lead to 13-7. 

On the first play of the second quarter, Kameron Smith hit Jameze Massey for a 67-yard touchdown strike that made the score 20-7. 

The offensive drive for the Bears stalled, and the punt attempt was botched, giving the Rams the ball deep in Shaw territory.  It took WSSU seven plays to cover 15 yards, but on third down, Smith hit Jamie Degeare for the touchdown. 

The point after attempt, though, was blocked and returned the length of the field by senior Jonathan Ringo, Jr.   The defensive PAT was worth two points for the Bears and made the score 26-9. 

The Bears would not score again in the second quarter, but Smith hit two more touchdown strikes for WSSU - one to Jamal Williams and another to Jahuann Butler - and connected on one two-point conversion, giving the Rams a 41-9 halftime lead.

Shaw found its footing in the second half, actually outscoring the high-flying Rams 22-21. 

"We didn't give up.  We fought," said Massey.  "We're young.  We had 12 seniors, they had about 23.  We're going to learn from this.  Our returning players don't want to feel like this again."

WSSU opened the third quarter with a scoring drive, giving them a 48-9 lead before the Shaw offense even had a chance to get the ball.  When they did, senior James Stallons hit Ta'Juan Brown twice for 35 yards, then found Nick Jones for a five-yard touchdown pass that made the score 48-15. 

Both offenses stalled for most of the rest of the third quarter, then Smith hit two passes for a total of 65 yards to key a drive that ended with a touchdown and a 55-15 WSSU lead.

On their first drive of the fourth quarter, Stallons connected with David Jordan three times for 41 yards, then hit Brown for 50 yards for a touchdown.  The two-point conversion made the score 55-23.

WSSU got their final points of the game on their next possession when they got their only rushing touchdown when DeQuann Leak barrelled 12 yards for the touchdown and 62-23 lead.

Shaw closed out the scoring on the next drive when Stallons threw for 75 yards, including a three-yard strike to Grant.  Dunn rushed for the two-point try and set the final score at 61-32. 

Stallons had his second 400-plus yard passing game this season, completing 33 of his 48 attempts for 412 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.  Brown tied a Shaw single-game record with ten receptions and missed tying the single-game receiving yard mark by four yards, finishing with 162 yards.  Dunn closed out his Shaw career with 13 rushes for 95 yards and one touchdown.

Keith Lomon led the Bears defensively with eight solo tackles and nine overall, including one tackle for a loss.  Senior Quintero Long finished with eight tackles -including seven solo hits - four tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and one pass breakup.  Evan Strange had seven tackles, including one sack.

Smith had a career-high 363 yards through the air off a 23 for 36 performance.  He threw for six touchdowns and had no interceptions.  Butler pulled in eight passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Massey had three catches for 114 yards and one touchdown.  Smith was also the leading rusher for the Rams with 36 yards.

Carlos Fields led WSSU with nine solo tackles and one forced fumble. 

Next week, the Bears close out their season by travelling across town to face Saint Augustine's.  Massey says, despite two weeks of disheartening losses, the Bears will be ready.

"This is your rival.  You always want to beat your rival.  This is for bragging rights for the upcoming year.  I told the seniors that they want to finish their college careers with a win."

The game will be held at the George Williams stadium on the Saint Augustine's campus.