RALEIGH, N.C. -  Senior KlinTisha Martin (Atlanta, GA) had a huge second half, scoring 21 points to help lift the Shaw University women's basketball team to an 81-70 victory over William Peace University Wednesday night at the Hermann Center.

The victory gives Shaw its second win on the season at 2-5 overall while WPU falls to 1-4 on the year.

Martin had just four points in the first half but managed to have become the games second leading scorer with 25 points and a game-high 15 rebounds – her third double-double on the season. Senior LaQuisha Taylor (Charlotte, NC) recorded a game-high 31 points and nine blocks while senior Chelsea Long (Melbourne, FL) added 14 points. Freshman Keyonte Cherry (Rocky Mount, NC) dished out a career-high 11 assists, eight rebounds and six steals in the win.

The Lady Bears produced a 12-11 lead at the 4:32 mark of the first quarter after a layup from Taylor. WPU responded with a layup of their own before knocking down a 3-pointer to lead 16-14 over Shaw with 2:09 remaining in the quarter. The Pacers would outscore Shaw 8-5 for a 24-19 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Pacers led by as many as eight points in the second frame but Shaw slowly trimmed at the deficit on a 6-1 run to trail 35-30 at intermission. Taylor led all scorers with 11 points.

Shaw continued to trail WPU up until the Lady Bears planted a 10-5 spurt to tie the contest at 45-45 with 4:57 left in the third quarter. The game would tie two more times before a late bucket from the Pacers gave WPU a 55-53 edge at the conclusion of the third stanza.

Although the fourth quarter featured three lead changes, the Lady Bears would have the last gain for good thanks to a jumper from Martin with 8:00 remaining. From there, Shaw tallied 11 unanswered points for a 70-60 scoring margin as Martin scored the Lady Bears last 14 points at the 5:40 mark.

Mikayla Ray led the Pacers with 21 points and 14 rebounds while Deja Umstead poured in 18 points, Walker added 14 points and Jayde Grant finished with 10 points.

The Lady Bears will return to action Tuesday, Dec. 12 when they play host to Chowan in their CIAA opener. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw women's basketball and its 13 varsity sport teams, please visit www.shawbears.com.