[Fayetteville, NC] -  Five Lady Bears scored in double digits and Shaw hit 30 of 33 free throws on their way to an 80-70 victory over Fayetteville State in a game played at F.J. Capel Arena Saturday night.

The Lady Bears maintain their hold on the top spot in the CIAA's Southern Division with the win.  Their record improves to 18-6 overall, 13-1 in the conference and 7-1 in the division.  The loss brings FSU's record to 11-13, 4-10 in the conference and 3-5 in the south.

Throughout the game, the Lady Bears would build a double-digit lead, only to see a persistent Lady Bronco squad fight their way back into the contest.  The difference for the Lady Bears came at the foul line, shooting 91 percent while Fayetteville State went 11 for 19 from the charity stripe. 

Statistically, the two teams played similar games, except when it came to the free throw line.  Both teams shot over 45 percent from the floor.  FSU collected 19 points off of 20 Shaw turnovers, while the Lady Bears converted 19 Lady Bronco turnovers into 17 points.

Shaw got off to a fast start, building a 14-2 lead on a combination  of strong inside play on offense and a smothering zone defense that seemed to stifle FSU.

The Lady Broncos stopped the bleeding and scored five points of their own, trimming the Shaw lead to seven, 16-9 with 11:45 left in the first. 

With 6:13 left in the half, Victoria Tanner hit a layup, was fouled and made the free throw, giving the Lady Bears a 32-20 lead.  Over the next five minutes, the Lady Broncos outscored Shaw 12-4 and trimmed the Shaw lead to four.  The Lady Bears would increase the lead to six by the half and went into the locker room with a 43-37 lead.

The Lady Broncos scored the first four points of the second half, trimming the Shaw lead to two when Akysia Resper hit a layup with 18:59 left in the game.

The Lady Broncos would keep it close through much of the first ten minutes of the second half.  With 11:22 left in the game, Resper hit a three to trim the Shaw lead to five. 

Williams then hit a pair of free throws to begin what would become a ten-point Shaw run.  With 8:53 left in the half, Sequoyah Griffin hit a fastbreak layup to give the Bears a 64-49 lead.

Over the next seven minutes, the Lady Broncos continued nipping at the margin, finally trimming it to six with 1:47 left.   But when FSU fouled to stop the clock, the Lady Bears hit their free throws, sinking six of seven the rest of the way.

Williams led the Lady Bears with 17 points.  Kyria Buford had a double-double, scoring 13 and collecting 11 rebounds.  Brittney Spencer, on the back of ten-for-ten free throw shooting, scored 14.  Crystal Harris had 11 and Griffin added another ten.  Spencer led the Lady Bears with four assists.

For the Lady Broncos, Resper led with 17 points, while SheQuita Manning had 12 and Je'Lena Robertston had ten.  Tashama Banner led FSU with seven rebounds and five assists.

The Lady Bears return to action Monday, February 20 when they host Winston-Salem State in the annual Senior Night game.  Tip is at 6:00 p.m. All Shaw home games are played at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.