Box Score RALEIGH, N.C. – The Shaw University men's basketball team used a late rally in the second half to defeat the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University, 75-65 in their CIAA opener on Tuesday night. Senior Joell Hopkins, Jr. (Raleigh, NC) put up 22 points, including 7-of-10 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds to lead the Bears past the Vikings.
The win snaps a five-game losing skid for the Bears as they post a 2-8 mark on the season and 1-0 in CIAA action. The Vikings fall to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in the standings.
Joining Hopkins, Jr. in double-figure scoring was junior David Madol (Manchester, NH) with 17 points and seven rebounds, while senior Aquil Younger (Philadelphia, PA) added 15 points and a team-best six assists.
Two made free-throws by Joell Hopkins, Jr. (Raleigh, NC) put the Bears on the scoreboard first but ECSU quickly responded with a jumper from Miykael Faulcon with 17:48 mark.
The Vikings would put together a 7-0 run over the span of two minutes to post a seven-point lead over the Bears with 11:14 left in the half. Shaw then regained composure to cut the lead down possession by possession to tie the game at 19-all at the 7:29 mark.
ECSU would lead by as many as four-points before the Bears made a run to outscore the Vikings 8-4 in the final three minutes of the first half, posting a 38-34 lead at the half.
ECSU's Clayton Cowell opened up the second half with a jumper to get things going for the Vikings, followed by a 3-pointer from Carlos Anderson to give ECSU the one-point lead. With 12 lead changes for the game and majority of the changes coming in the second half, the Bears suddenly were on top57-55 courtesy of a layup by Younger with 11:02 remaining.
The Bears allowed the Vikings to get within two-points on three occasions before running away with a 13-point lead with 53 seconds remaining to seal the win.
For the game, Shaw outscored ECSU 44-18 in the paint, 24-20 in points off of turnovers, 12-9 in second chances and 12-6 in fast break points. The Bears held a 34-31 advantage over the Vikings.
Shaw will look to continue the winning momentum on Saturday, Dec. 19th when they travel to Atlanta to compete in the CIAA/SIAC Challenge hosted by Clark Atlanta University. The Bears will square off against the Panthers at 3 p.m., followed by a matchup against Fort Valley State on Sunday, Dec. 20th.
For the most up-to-date information on Shaw University men's basketball and its 11 varsity sport teams, please visit shawbears.com.
