Box Score SALISBURY, N.C. – Kaula Jacks (Chesapeake Beach, MD) of the Shaw University women's basketball scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Lady Bears to a 75-72 victory over Livingstone College on Saturday afternoon inside New Trent Gymnasium.
The win boasts Shaw to 13-5 overall, 5-1 in CIAA action and 1-0 in the Southern Division. The Lady Blue Bears drop to 8-7 overall, 3-3 in the league and 0-1 in the division.
Michelle Wright (Baltimore, MD) tabbed 11 points and seven rebounds, while Fantasha Tyson (Raleigh, NC) and Aaliyah Mercer (Bronx, NY) tallied 10 points each.
For the contest, Shaw outscored LC 40-36 in the paint, 10-6 in fast breaks, 26-13 in bench points and scored 26 points off of the Lady Blues 23 turnovers.
Shaw opened up the first quarter with a 4-0 run before the Lady Blue Bears got on the scoreboard at the 9:04 mark. Things got going for LC as they would go on a 14-8 run to lead 20-13 at the end of the quarter.
The Lady Bears cut at the Lady Blue Bears lead with 4:24 left in the second quarter after a layup from Laquisha Taylor (Charlotte, NC). Shaw got within three points (28-25) on a good bucket from Mercer but LC quickly went up by eight points off a 7-2 run.
With 1:07 left in the first half, Jacks hit a jumper to spark a 6-0 run for the Lady Bears as they went into the locker room trailing by one-point (35-34).
Shaw trailed by as many as 11-points with 2:44 left in the third quarter but they were able to close the gap and get within four points (56-52) going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bears took their first lead since the first quarter at the 5:35 mark after a layup from Taylor but that would be short lived as LC's Zena Lovette was fouled on a 3-point play – giving the Lady Blue Bears the lead again.
Down the stretch, both teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes but the deciding factor came the 1:14 mark when Wright hit a layup to tie the game for the fifth time in the quarter. LC failed to score on the next possession as Ross went to the line to sink one-of-two free throws to give SU a 70-69 lead.
A crucial turnover from the Lady Blue Bears resulted in a layup for Tyson. From there, Shaw held a 5-3 scoring advantage in the final seconds to seal the deal.
Livingstone had four players score in double-figures including, Lovette with 16 points, Brittany Taylor with 13 points, while Wende Foster and Toxiana Wilson finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Shaw will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 20th when they host Winston-Salem State University in a CIAA Southern Divisional matchup. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Shaw women's basketball and its 11 varsity sport teams, visit shawbears.com.
