RALEIGH, NC -- The Shaw women's basketball team erased a halftime deficit on the way to a 54-43 CIAA basketball victory over the Virginia State Trojans at historic C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium Wednesday. The win was the seventh in eight games and the third in a row for the Lady Bears, who concluded an eight-game homestand.
The Lady Bears (11-8, 4-3 CIAA) had two players score in double figures, led by Makenzie Pollard with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Tanayja London added 12 points and Rita James added three points, four assists and nine steals.
Shaw grabbed 34 rebounds in Wednesday's game compared to Virginia State's 31, led by seven boards from Brittiney Seymour. The Lady Bears also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 10 rebounds into 14 second chance points.
The Shaw defense held Virginia State shooters to only 28.8 percent from the field, including 20.8 percent from three-point range.
How It Happened
After playing to a 2-2 tie early in the game, Shaw went on a 6-0 run with 5:22 left in the first quarter to take an 8-2 lead. Virginia State then responded to tie things up at 10-10 heading into the second quarter. Shaw capitalized on seven Virginia State turnovers in the period, turning them into eight points on the other end of the floor.
Virginia State then took a 20-15 lead before Shaw responding by going on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Tasya Troxler-Scott, to tie the game at 20. Virginia State then took control, putting the Lady Bears at a 26-20 disadvantage heading into halftime.
After intermission, Shaw cut its deficit to 33-31 before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Inari Jones, to grab a 37-33 lead with 33 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Shaw played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 17 points in the paint.
Shaw kept widening that lead, expanding it to 48-40 before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 54-40 with 17 seconds to go in the contest. The Trojans narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Lady Bears still cruised the rest of the way for the 54-43 win. Shaw took advantage of 10 Virginia State turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Lady Bears held the Trojans to only 28.8 percent shooting from the field.
» The Lady Bears put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 71 percent of made field goals.
» The Shaw bench came alive by scoring 20 points to its scoring output.
» Rita James swiped nine steals for the Lady Bears in the game.
» Shaw had a 34-31 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Shaw defense forced 28 turnovers.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
Quotes
"Once they couldn't get the ball past halfcourt, it was our game." - Shaw guard Makenzie Pollard on the Lady Bears' defense in the second half comeback.
"All the tiredness, all the unnecessary things that we struggled with goes out the window. We just lock in on the last 10 minutes. That's the most important thing for us." - Shaw forward Tanayja London on the Lady Bears' strong finish against VSU.
Up Next
After an eight-game home stretch, the Lady Bears hit the road to visit Lincoln (Pa.) University on Saturday, Jan. 21, in Lincoln University, Pa. Game time is 2 p.m.
