SALISBURY, N.C.  – The Shaw University football team earned its first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference victory on Saturday afternoon as the Bears defeated Livingstone College 37-28 at the Alumni Stadium. The win improves Shaw to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in CIAA action while the Blue Bears dip to 2-4 on the year and 1-3 against league opponents.

On the opening drive, the Bears drove the ball all the way down to the Blue Bears eight yard line but two plays later, Shaw fumbled and lost yardage before an interception gave Livingstone the ball on the two yard line. With 10:23 on the clock, the Bears scored the game's first points after a touchback thanks to junior linebacker Devon Hunt (Hamlet, NC) and sophomore linebacker Jaleel Scroggins (Raleigh, NC).

Shaw started its next drive at the 10:09 mark and scored when senior quarterback Keon Marsh (Queens, NY) connected with graduate senior running back Dorrel McClain (Raleigh, NC) for a 35 yard touchdown to put the Bears ahead 9-0 after one quarter.

Despite a 9-0 lead for Shaw, Livingstone responded by scoring nine unanswered points of its own, including a 24 yard pass from Miles Hayes to Brandon Duncan at the 6:40 mark and then a team safety before halftime.

Both teams scored at least twice in the third quarter as the Blue Bears broke the tie on a 11 yard reception touchdown from DeAndre Vickers that gave LC the 16-9 lead but the Bears quickly responded on a four yard scamper from McClain to knot the game at 16-all with 8:23 left.

Shaw then racked up 54 yards on four plays including a 36 yard reception TD for Green, Jr. to extend the Bears lead 23-16 over Livingstone but the Blue Bears also found the endzone when Miles linked with Vickers for a 14 yard score to pull within 23-22 at the 2:07 mark. A six yard scoring touchdown from Green, Jr. provided a 30-22 advantage for Shaw heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final stanza, LC trailed Shaw by two points when Anthony Faraimo scored on a 13 yard passing TD with 10:50 left in the game. Five minutes and three possessions later, McClain rushed for three yards in the endzone as junior kicker Beni Kinsemi's (Charlotte, NC) extra point made the game interesting at 37-28 with a little over three minutes left to play.

After a 60 yard kick to the Blue Bears five yard line, LC returned the ball for 32 yards to start the next drive. The Blue Bears gained a first and goal after a 29 yard pass for Alexis Archie but the Bears defense locked down on three consecutive plays which resulted in an interception for Scroggins as he took the ball down to the Bears 46 yard line that would ultimately put the game away.

Marsh ended the game with 26-for-36 for 323 yards and three touchdowns, two Green, Jr. McClain hauled in six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown while on the ground, he finished with 56 rushing yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. Green, Jr. registered a career high 85 reception yards on five catches and two scores.

The Bears defense was led by senior linebacker Andrew Cash (Semora, NC) with eight tackles, a tackle for loss and a half of sack while junior linebacker Devon Hunt (Hamlet, NC) contributed seven tackles.

Shaw will play host to Johnson C. Smith University next Saturday (Oct. 20) at Durham County Memorial Stadium with a kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Athletics will pay tribute to those affected by Breast Cancer during the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game.

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw football and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit shawbears.com.