RALEIGH, NC --Five Bears scored in double figures as Shaw took down the Morris Hornets 108-53 at home Wednesday.
The Bears (4-5) had five players score in double figures, led by DJ Thomas, who had 16 points, five assists and five steals. Caleb Simmons tacked on a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Doriuntas Barnes helped out with 14 points from the bench.
Shaw utilized fantastic ball movement in Wednesday's game, piling up 20 assists on 42 made field goals. Thomas' five assists led the distribution list for the Bears and Amir Waddell also contributed with three assists of his own.
The Shaw defense held Morris shooters to only 29.6 percent from the field, including 23.1 percent from three-point range.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 23-8 advantage, Shaw went on a 21-0 run with 10:59 left in the first half to increase its lead to 44-8. The Bears then added 10 points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 61-15 advantage. Shaw did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 32 of its 61 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Shaw kept widening that lead, expanding it to 63-15 before going on a 12-0 run to grow the lead to 75-15 with 17:10 to go in the contest. The Hornets narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Bears still cruised the rest of the way for the 108-53 win. Shaw shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting seven shots from deep to score 21 of its 47 points.
Game Notes
» Shaw lit it up from three point land, knocking down 13 treys in the game.
» The Shaw bench came alive by scoring 48 points to its scoring output.
» The Bears turned 32 turnovers into 48 points on the offensive end.
» Shaw had a 48-33 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Shaw defense forced 32 turnovers.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 17 offensive boards in the game.
Quotes
Head Coach Bobby Collins
"I am mostly proud of the way we defended. [Morris] had 32 turnovers, most of them because we have taken pride in our defense. We played together tonight. We had 20 assists. That's special. If we play together and we trust the process, we can do this every night."
Caleb Simmons
"This was the most fun we had this season. You saw the crowd, you saw the bench. Every time we came down the floor, everybody was on the edge of their seats. We want to make that the standard, not just here at home but also away. This win is timely because it is going to propel us into the rest of the season."
DJ Thomas
"It was a great night for us. I loved the way we played tonight."
Up Next
The Bears return to C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium as they face Bluefield State University on December 7. Tipoff is slated for 7 PM.
