RALEIGH, N.C. – The Shaw University women's basketball team hit only 51.2 percent from the free throw line, falling to visiting Livingstone 83-77 in overtime in a game played Saturday afternoon at Shaw's C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

During regulation, the Lady Bears hit only 17 of 37 free throw shots, improving in overtime where they went four for four -- the only points they would score in the extra period.  Livingstone hit 70 percent of their shots from the charity stripe, including going eight for ten in overtime.

The loss is the second straight for Shaw and the Lady Bears fall to 14-8 overall, 8-4 in the CIAA and 4-2 in the division.   Livingstone improves to 12-10, 7-5 in the conference, and 3-3 in the Southern Division.

Shaw lost despite a massive advantage on the boards, 74-48, and a slight advantage in the paint, outscoring the Lady Blue Bears 24-18 in the lane. 

Livingstone did not shoot as well as the Bears from beyond the arc, but sank eight three-pointers compared to only four for Shaw.

For the second straight game, Shaw built a double-digit lead in the first, only to see it slip away.

Livingstone struggled to score in the opening minutes, missing all but one shot in the first five and a half minutes of the game.  By the time the Lady Blue Bears scored their second field goal, Shaw already held an 11-4 lead.

Verdine Warner responded with a layup to give Shaw a nine-point lead, and converted the three-point play to push the lead into double digits.

After Livingstone cut the lead to eight, Shaw went on a 12-3 run, culminating in a layup from Kaula Jacks that gave Shaw a 26-9 lead with 10:30 left in the half. 

Three minutes later, Jacks found Warner under the bucket and Warner sank the easy layup to again lengthen the lead back to 17 at 32-15.

The Lady Blue Bears scored the next 12 points, and with 4:28 left in the first, Cierra York hit a layup on the fastbreak to trim the Shaw lead to five at 32-27.

Bryann Guyton broke Shaw's scoring drought with a jumper off a pass from Micah Brooks, but Ashley Walker responded with a three, cutting the Shaw lead to only four.

After Ariel Hatcher sank a layup to extend Shaw's lead back to six, Livingstone scored seven straight.  With 1:28 left in the half, York hit a single free throw to give the Lady Blue Bears a 37-36 lead.

Nicole Dias hit a layup to give the lead back to Shaw, and the Lady Bears closed out the half, going to the locker room with a 41-39 lead.

Twenty-four seconds into the second half, Walker hit a jumper to tie the contest at 41.  Neither team would find the bottom of the bucket for over two minutes, when Diamond Mitchell found Jacks on the left wing for a short jumper that gave Shaw back the lead.

For the next eight minutes, Shaw clung to a small lead, but with 9:44 left in regulation, York hit a jumper to tie the contest at 54. 

The lead see-sawed -- changing hands seven times during the game, and with 13 ties -- for five minutes.  With 4:37 left, Tiffany Evans hit a layup on the fastbreak for Livingstone to tie the contest and begin what became a six-point scoring run that gave the Lady Blue Bears a 68-64 lead with 3:01 left.

Shaw answered with four straight points, tying the contest at 68 when Brooks hit a jumper with 2:13 on the clock. 

The Lady Blue Bears built a lead back out to three, but Hatcher was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws.   With five seconds left, Livingstone took the lead again on a pair of free throws from York, but Mitchell brought the packed out to its feet with a jumper at the buzzer to force overtime.

The overtime period was spent at the free throw line for both teams.  Only one field goal was scored in the extra time -- by Livingstone -- but that bucket started a seven-point run that gave the Lady Blue Bears an 82-75 lead with 18 seconds showing.  Shaw hit a pair of free throws at the eight-second mark, followed by a single free throw for the Lady Blue Bears, giving Livingstone the 83-77 overtime win.

Jacks had 19 points to lead the Lady Bears, while Hatcher had 16.  Warner turned in the Lady Bears' most impressive performance, scoring 15 and hauling in 20 rebounds for a strong double-double.  Brooks had 11 points.  Jacks led Shaw with six assists.

Livingstone had four players in double figures, led by York with 24, Evans with 23, Walker with 18 and Taylor Daniels with ten.  Daniels added 16 rebounds for her own double-double.  York had seven assists to pace the Lady Blue Bears.

The Lady Bears return to action Wednesday when they travel to Winston-Salem State for a 5:00 tip.  They return home next Saturday when they host cross-town rival Saint Augustine's in the team's annual Think Pink game.  Tipoff is at 2:00 p.m. at Shaw's C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.