CHARLOTTE, NC – The Shaw University women's basketball team concluded their 2016-17 season with a 65-62 loss to Lincoln University on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 21 in the opening round of the 2017 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Basketball Tournament in the Bojangles Coliseum.

Shaw held a 20-point lead in the in the opening quarter but went cold offensively and was outscored in the second, third and fourth quarter.

For the contest, Shaw shot 34.3 percent (23-of-67) from the field while Lincoln (8-19, 4-12 CIAA) was 40.6 percent (26-of-64) in field goal shooting. The Lady Bears were outrebounded 44-41 and outscored 22-16 in second chance opportunities.

LaQuisha Taylor (Charlotte, NC) finished with 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lady Bears in scoring. Bianca Maxwell (London, England) chipped in 16 points and 13 rebounds while Imani Heggins (Chesapeake, VA) added 11 points and five rebounds.

The Lady Bears opened up the contest shooting 47.6 percent from the floor (10-of-21), including 50 percent (5-of-10) from the three-point line and 3-of-3 from the foul line to take an astonishing 28-8 lead over Lincoln (Pa.) in the first quarter.

The second quarter would see the Lady Bears give up that 20-point lead after shooting 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from the field.  The Lady Lions held a 21-8 scoring frame led by De'Jah Taylor and Kholby Oliver who combined for 12 points in the run.

The Lady Bears held on to its lead up until the 3:26 mark of the third quarter when She'cquan Bailey hit a jumper to give LU its first lead of the game. The lead would change four times before a layup at the buzzer from Heggins gave Shaw a 48-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

With the contest tied at 50-50 and 9:10 remaining, the Lady Lions nailed a three-pointer for a lead that they would not relinquish. Shaw pulled within one on two made free-throws from Maxwell but LU used a 9-2 run to lead by eight with 2:44 on the game clock.

The Lady Bears would battle back down the stretch after pulling within two on Heggins free-throw but Shaw missed its window for an opportunity to tie or win the game as a missed three-pointer resulted in the Lady Lions going to the line to secure the win.

Bailey led LU in scoring with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Taylor added 15 points and eight rebounds and Ashley Paynes-Hightower contributed 12 points and six rebounds. The Lady Lions will move on to face No. 1 seed, Chowan on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in the quarterfinal round.

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw women's basketball and its 11 varsity sport teams, please visit www.shawbears.com.