[Salisbury, NC] - With CIAA Player of the Week Malik Alvin struggling on offense, 14th ranked Shaw trailed Livingstone by seven points midway through the second half of their game Monday night.  Led by Tony Smith, the Bears made the comeback, winning 71-64 and claiming their 15th straight victory.

The win improves Shaw's record to 17-2 on the season, 11-0 in the CIAA and 5-0 in the Southern Division.  Livingstone falls to 5-13, 2-9 in the conference and 1-4 in the division.

With 12:04 left in the game, Livingstone held a 48-41 lead.  Alvin had managed only two points on a one for six performance from the field and the Bears were struggling offensively as a team.    Nearly four minutes later, Shaw still trailed by five.

Smith found Curtis Hines on the perimeter and Hines sank the shot for three, then Karron Johnson took the alley oop pass from Derrick Hunter to tie the game with 6:27 remaining.  Johnson was fouled on the play and made the free throw to give Shaw their first lead since early in the half.

With 4:29 left in the contest, Ethan Anderson hit a pair of free throws to give Livingstone a 55-54 lead.  Smith hit a three pointer to reclaim the lead, and Curtis Hines made a layup to extend it to 59-55.

Undeterred, Livingstone tied the game at 59  on a pair of free throws by Tyler Johnson, but Smith came alive over the next two minutes, sinking a layup, a three pointer and a free throw, as well as collecting a rebound to build a 65-60 Shaw lead.

Alvin then returned to the game, and sank four critical free throws down the line to help cement the 71-64 win.

The late game comeback belied Shaw's play early in the game, when they built a ten-point lead by the 12:30 mark in the first half at 15-5.  But Livingstone fought back, outscoring Shaw 12-2 over the next six minutes, to tie the game at 17.

Key to the Livingstone comeback was Mark Thomas, who hit three from beyond the arc.  At the half, he had 13 points. Derrick Hunter got the assignment to guard Thomas in the second half and shut him down.  Thomas finished the game with 14 points - having collected only a single free throw in the second. 

The two teams battled evenly for the rest of the half, with Shaw taking a 32-28 lead into the locker room.

Shaw held that lead into the second half, taking a 34-30 lead on a Smith jumper with 18:53 left in the game.  The Blue Bears then went on an 11-2 run, building a five-point lead with 14:04 remaining.  While Shaw would cut it to two, Livingstone extended it to seven before Smith keyed the late game rally.

Smith led the Bears with a season-high 25 points.  He also collected six rebounds and dished out seven assists.  Johnson finished the night with 18 points and three blocks.  Junius Chaney had nine rebounds to lead Shaw.  Alvin finished the game with six points, his lowest output of the season. 

Thomas' 14 led the Blue Bears.  Tyler Johnson had 12 and Trone added 11.  Nasir Austin had ten rebounds to lead Livingstone and Greg Henry had four assists.

The Bears return to action Saturday night when they travel to Winston-Salem, NC to take on Winston-Salem State for a 7:30 tip.  They return home Monday, February 13 when they host JCSU at 8:00 p.m. at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.