RALEIGH, N.C. -  The Shaw University men's basketball team sank nine shots from beyond the arc and hit over 60 percent from the floor as they claimed their third straight win with a 77-69 victory over visiting Virginia State Monday night at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

With the win, Shaw improves to 5-8 on the season, and a perfect 3-0 in CIAA action.  Virginia State falls to 7-6, 0-2 in the conference.

Shaw hit 23 of 38 shots -- including nine of 15 from the three point line --for a sterling 60.5 percent shooting rate.  The Trojans hit 53.3 percent of their shots (24 of 45).  With shooting that strong, rebounds declined, and Virginia State carried the night on the boards, but only with a 23-22 margin.

Shaw built a lead in the first half on three pointers, hitting five of nine -- including three from Larry Richardson.  The Bears shot 55.6 percent in the first half, compared to only 45 percent from the Trojans.

A close contest favored the Trojans early as they built a small lead in the early moments, and still led by three on a three-point play from Lamar Kearse with 9:59 left in the first half. 

Shaw responded with six straight, on two three-point plays from Richardson:  one a bucket and a free throw and the other a three-point shot.  The points gave Shaw a 17-14 lead with 8:51 left in the half.

Tied at 19 with 6:39 left in the first, Shaw went on a 14-4 run to end the half, including two more threes from Richardson.   The Bears went to the locker room leading 33-23.

Shaw claimed their largest lead of the game on the opening bucket of the second half -- a jumper in the lane from Joe Reid -- that gave Shaw a 35-23 lead. 

Virginia State answered with four straight off two buckets from Elijah Moore, but Curtis Hines hit a three to put the Bears up by 11.

VSU had a brief 6-1 run, but Shaw then scored five straight -- including another three from Richardson -- to put the lead back at 11 with 10:35 left in the game. 

Six minutes later, the Bears grabbed another 12-point margin off a dunk from Richardson to make the score 62-50. 

The lead hovered just above double digits for another minute, but then Kearse hit a three for VSU that brought the Shaw lead down to nine with 2:59 left. He then stole the ball on the inbounds, and put in a layup to make the score 66-59.

Derrick Hunter hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to nine, and the teams traded free throws for most of a minute. 

With 1:13 left, Hines hit a three for the Bears, making the score 73-64.  In the next 21 seconds, VSU scored twice, cutting the lead to only five, but that would be the closest they would get the rest of the game.

The Trojans fouled Shaw the rest of the way, not letting them get off a shot.  The Bears hit only half of their eight free throws in the last minute of the game, but that was enough to hold on to the 77-69 win.

Richardson finished the game with 20 points - a career high for the freshman.  Hines had 14 and Koron Reed 13.  Reed had eight rebounds and Hunter six assists to lead the Bears.

Chris Grier and Kearse had 14 each for the Trojans.  Amiel Terry added 12 points.  Moore had seven rebounds and Kearse three assists to pace VSU.

The Bears now take to the road for four straight games, starting with a clash against Virginia Union Thursday at 7:30.  Shaw returns home Wednesday, January 22 to host division rival Winston-Salem State at 8:00 p.m. at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.