RALEIGH, NC - The Shaw men's basketball team got a 25-point performance from the bench, but fell 87-79 to the Mount Olive Trojans at home Tuesday.

The Bears (0-3) had three players score in double figures, led by DJ Thomas, who had 19 points and four assists. Jeremiah Pope added 13 points and two steals and Amir Waddell chipped in as well with 10 points off the bench.

Shaw collected 36 rebounds in Tuesday's game compared to Mount Olive's 32, led by six boards from Denari Garrett. The Bears also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 12 rebounds into seven second chance points.

How It Happened

After falling behind 1-0, Shaw went on a 7-0 run with 18:38 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Thomas, to take a 7-1 lead. The Bears then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 41-38.

Mount Olive kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 44-38 advantage before Shaw went on a 9-0 run to seize a 47-44 lead with 15:45 to go in the contest. Mount Olive re-asserted control, outscoring the Bears 43-32 the rest of the way to hand Shaw the 87-79 loss. Shaw got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 41 total points.

Game Notes

» The Shaw bench came alive by scoring 25 points to its scoring output.
» Shaw lost despite a 36-32 rebounding advantage.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Dj Thomas led the Bears with 19 points.
» Shaw got six rebounds from both Denari Garrett and Justus Baldwin.

Up Next
The Bears head to Atlanta, GA for the HBCU All-Star Challenge held at Morehouse College. Shaw will take on LeMoyne-Owen Friday followed by Tuskegee on Saturday. 

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