BELMONT, N.C. -  #13 Shaw University suffered their first loss of the young season when they were upset by Belmont Abbey 75-64 in a game played at Belmont's Wheeler Center Tuesday night. 

The Lady Bears struggled with their shot all evening, hitting 38.7 from the field and 57.1 percent from the free throw line. 

With the loss, the Lady Bears drop to 2-1, while Belmont Abbey collects their fourth straight win and improves to 5-2 on the season.

The game was nearly foul-free with Shaw committing only nine in the game -- seven of those in the second half -- while the Lady Crusaders committed only eight.

Shaw, who moved up six places in this week's USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, built a small lead early, but the Lady Crusaders went on a seven-point run to close out the first half, building a double digit lead.  Despite the fact that Shaw kept pace with Belmont Abbey in the second, they could never make a run that got them back into the game.

After the Lady Crusaders scored the first four points of the game, Shaw then scored six straight, punctuated by a layup from Kaula Jack that gave the Lady Bears a 6-4 lead. 

After a layup from Morgan Midkiff tied the score at six, Jack hit another layup to give Shaw back the lead with 15:43 left in the first half.

Ariel Hatcher would then hit a jumper to give Shaw a four-point lead, but Belmont Abbey scored the next six, before Bryann Guyton broke the Crusader scoring run and tied the score at 12 with 13:20 left.

Tied again at 14, Belmont Abbey went on a 7-2 run, building a five-point lead.  Shaw would not regain the lead in the game.

With 2:34 left in the first, Hatcher hit a layup that cut the Lady Crusader lead to four, but Belmont Abbey went on a seven-point scoring run to close out the half and go to the locker room with a 45-34 lead.

Belmont Abbey opened the second half much as they'd ended the first, scoring five of the first seven points of the period to build a 50-36 lead. 

Shaw answered with a six-point scoring run that cut the lead to eight at 50-42. 

With 13:47 left, Tajanna Brown hit a layup to give the Lady Crusaders a 55-44 lead.  Hatcher then hit a layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play and Jack hit a jumper to trim the lead to 55-49.

The Lady Bears cut the lead to five on a layup from Henry, but Belmont Abbey responded with a five-point scoring run that stretched their lead back to ten with 10:05 left in the game.

Diamond Mitchell scored four straight for Shaw to cut the lead back to six, but the Lady Crusaders scored the next six points, extending their lead to 67-55 with 6:05 left.   

The Lady Bears would cut the lead under double digits twice more, but could not make a run to get it any closer, finally dropping the contest 75-64.

Jack finished the contest with 14 points, while Hatcher and Mitchell had 13 apiece.  Micah Brooks had 12 for the Lady Bears.  Verdine Warner was the leading rebounder in the game with 11.  Jack and Mitchell had three assists apiece.

Four Lady Crusaders hit double digits:  Midkiff with 20, McKenzie Owen with 18 and Melisa Foures and Kelsey Long with ten each.  Brown was the leading rebounder with seven.  Midkiff led both teams with eight assists, while Candace Fox had seven.

The Lady Bears take an 11-day break before they host Palm Beach Atlantic in the Shaw Invitational on December 7.  The Invitational tips on December 6, when Palm Beach Atlantic will take on Fayetteville State University.   Both games will be held at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus and will tip at 2:00 p.m.