RALEIGH, N.C. - Trailing by as many as 16 with less than five minutes left in the game, Shaw powered back, cutting the Chowan lead to only three, but could not get closer as the visiting Hawks downed the Lady Bears 69-64 in a game played Saturday afternoon at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.
Chowan took a lead in the first on a flurry of three pointers, and held on by hitting crucial free throws in the last seconds of the game to keep the Lady Bears at bay. Shaw never held a lead during the game.
With the win, Chowan improves to 7-5 overall, 1-1 in the CIAA. Shaw falls to 7-5, 1-1 in conference.
Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch, with Shaw hitting only 32.5 percent on the game. Chowan shot a slightly better 37.1 percent. The Lady Bears had 77 shot attempts versus 62 for the Hawks. The Hawks hit threes in a variety of critical situations, sinking nine from beyond the arc during the contest.
With Shaw fouling late in the contest, Chowan got off a total of 22 free throws, while Shaw attempted only 15 shots from the charity stripe. The Hawks hit 14 of those 22, while Shaw sank 11 of their 15.
Rachel Gostomski scored eight of Chowan's first ten points -- including two threes -- as the Hawks built a 10-0 lead to open the game.
Kaula Jacks got the Lady Bears on the scoreboard with a jumper, but Courtni Williams hit yet another three for the Hawks to stretch their lead to 11 with less than three and a half minutes gone in the contest.
Micah Brooks hit a jumper to trim the Chowan lead to 13-4, but the Hawks responded with a ten-point run -- including two threes and a layup from Gostomski -- giving them a 23-4 lead with 11:34 left in the half.
Verdine Warner hit a layup to start what would become a seven-point Shaw run, trimming the lead to 23-11 on another layup from Warner.
A three from RyJae Anderson gave the Hawks a 30-15 lead with 5:36 left in the first. Warner then scored four straight to trim the lead to 11, 30-19.
With 23 ticks on the clock, Brooks hit a pair of three throws to cut the Chowan lead to ten going into the half.
Warner opened the second half with a layup off a pass from Diamond Mitchell to cut the lead to under ten for the first time since the 14:58 mark in the first half.
Williams hit yet another three to extend the Chowan lead to 11 and begin a two minute stretch of exchanging buckets with the Lady Bears.
After a Mitchell layup trimmed the Hawk lead to ten, Chowan scored four straight to stretch the lead to 14. Shaw responded with a five-point run, cutting the lead to under double digits when Brooks hit a jumper in the lane to set the score at 48-39 in favor of the visitors with 9:36 left in the game.
Shantae Spring hit a three to extend the lead back to 12, then sank a pair of free throws on their next possession to make the lead 14 at 53-39.
With 4:43 left in the contest, Gostomski hit another three to give Chowan a 65-49 lead. The Lady Bears roared back, scoring the next 12 points, including two threes of their own from Kamiya Burwell and Brooks. Brooks' three cut the Chowan lead to four, 65-61.
After Chowan hit two free throws, Warner got her own rebound, tipped it in and was fouled. She hit the free throw to cut the Hawk lead to three at 67-64 with 54 seconds left in the game.
The Hawks closed out the scoring on two free throws from Gostomski that gave them the 69-64 final.
Warner finished the game with 19 points, while Burwell and Brooks had 12 each and Jacks added another ten. Warner had eight rebounds and Jacks and Mitchell had five assists apiece to lead the Lady Bears.
Gostomski finished the game with 26 points -- the only Hawk in double figures. Alisha Mobley and Kaela Nelson had nine each. Mobley had ten rebounds and she and Williams had three assists apiece to pace Chowan.
The Lady Bears return to action Monday night when they host Virginia State at 6:00 p.m. at Shaw's C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.
