RALEIGH, N.C. - The Shaw University women's basketball team built a double-digit lead, but previously unbeaten Virginia State battled back, trimming the lead to only one in the final minutes of the game, but Shaw fended off the charge, taking the 69-64 win in front of a packed house at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium Monday  night.

Shaw held a lead of nine points with just under ten minutes left in the game, but the Lady Trojans scored eight straight to cut the lead to one with seven minutes left in the contest.  The Lady Bears committed three turnovers during the run, on their way to 26 in the game.

What Shaw gave up in turnovers, they took back on the boards, hauling in 52 rebounds versus 34 for VSU. 

Neither team had a significant shooting night with Shaw hitting 37.5 percent of their shots and VSU hitting 34.8.

Shaw set the tone early, holding Virginia State to only 29.4 percent shooting in the first, while hitting 41.9 percent of their own shots.  The Lady Bears also held a 28-15 margin in rebounding and committed only four personal fouls -- compared to eight for the Lady Trojans.

The early minutes were tight, with VSU taking a very early lead and extending it to as many as five, but Kamiya Burwell hit a three to slice that margin to two, then Verdine Warner hit a short jumper to tie the contest at five.

Shaw continued the run with another five points, on five straight from Diamond Mitchell, before allowing the Lady Trojans back on the scoreboard.  VSU scored four straight to cut the lead to one, but Shaw scored the next five to take a 17-11 lead with 10:21 left in the first half.

Still leading by six with under five minutes left in the first, the Lady Bears scored five straight to move their lead into double digits when Kaula Jack hit a layup to give Shaw a 31-20 lead with 2:31 left. 

The two teams exchanged scores, with Shaw going into the locker room at the half with a 33-24 lead.

Shaw extended the lead to 11 on a pair of free throws in the opening minute of the second half, but VSU answered with a pair from the charity stripe to trim the Shaw lead to nine.  The Lady Bears would not hit a ten-point margin the rest of the game.

With 10:56 left in the contest, Lemesha Deal hit a pair of free throws to trim the Shaw lead to two at 44-42.  Shaw responded by scoring seven straight, ending with a layup from Ariel Hatcher that gave Shaw a 51-42 lead with 9:27 left in the game.

The Lady Trojans then went on a run of their own, running off eight straight, concluding with a jumper from Cana Marriott that cut the Shaw lead to 51-50 with 6:59 left.

The two teams exchanged buckets, then Hatcher hit a critical three to stretch the lead to four with 5:33 left.

With 50 seconds left, Diamond Mitchell hit a layup to give Shaw a six-point, 64-58, lead.  Micah Brooks hit a free throw to extend the lead to seven, but Jessica Lyons hit a three for the Lady Trojans to cut the lead to four and send the Trojans on a fouling spree.  Shaw would hit four of six free throws in the closing 22 seconds, enough to hold on to the 69-64 win.

Jacks led the Bears with 18 points, and Hatcher finished with 16.  Mitchell was the only other Shaw scorer in double digits with ten.  Warner had 11 rebounds and Brooks ten to lead Shaw, while Jacks and Mitchell had five assists apiece to pace the Lady Bears.

Jessica Lyons had 16 points to lead Virginia State, with Prynces Tate-Dublin and Deal each finishing with 12.  Alexandria Massado had nine rebounds and three assists to lead VSU.

The Lady Bears now take to the road for four games, starting with a Thursday tilt at Virginia Union at 5:30 p.m.  Shaw returns home Wednesday, January 22 to host Winston-Salem State in a CIAA divisional matchup at 6:00 p.m. at Shaw's C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.