ORANGEBURG, S.C. --The Shaw women's basketball team shot 50 percent from deep, but fell to the Claflin Panthers 80-76 in their CIAA opener on the road Saturday.
The Lady Bears (4-4, 0-1) had two players score in double figures, led by MaKenzie Pollard, who had 19 points. Mariah Holder added 11 points off the bench and Tanayja London added seven points and 13 rebounds.
London pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Shaw, grabbing 21 boards and turning them into 20 second chance points.
How It Happened
After falling behind 25-15, Shaw went on a 6-0 run with 1:01 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Tanashia Hairston, to narrow its deficit to 25-21, a score that would hold for the rest of the period.
Claflin kept adding to that lead, building a 36-25 advantage before Shaw went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Madjiguene Pene, to narrow its deficit to 36-30. The Lady Bears continued to chip away, reducing the Claflin lead to 40-35 heading into the break.
Shaw came out of halftime on fire, going on a 14-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Brittiney Seymour, to grab a 49-40 lead with 6:53 to go in the third. Claflin responded to seize a 58-51 lead entering the fourth quarter. Shaw knocked down seven three-pointers in the quarter to score 21 of its 16 total points.
Shaw kept the Panthers from increasing their lead before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Holder's three, to shrink the deficit to 70-69 with 2:42 to go in the contest. Claflin responded and outscored the Lady Bears the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 80-76.
Game Notes
» The Lady Bears made half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down 12 of 24 shots.
» The Shaw bench came alive by adding 33 points to its scoring output.
» Shaw lost despite a 48-39 rebounding advantage.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 21 offensive boards in the game.
» Tanayja London nabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to lead Shaw and Brittiney Seymour contributed 10.
Up Next
The Lady Bears continue their road trip with another cross division CIAA matchup against Fayetteville State Wednesday, December 14. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.
