RALEIGH, NC --The Shaw men's basketball team went into the half tied with Winston-Salem 34-34, but used a clutch play from guard DJ Thomas to put the Bears past the visiting Rams 65-63 Saturday in front of a packed C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium. 

The Bears (9-7, 2-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Thomas, who had 19 points and three steals. Caleb Simmons added a double-double from the bench with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Amir Waddell helped out with 10 points off of the bench.

Shaw grabbed 33 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Winston-Salem's 30, led by Simmons' 10 boards.

Shaw forced 15 WSSU turnovers. The Bears turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Thomas' three steals led the way for Shaw.

How It Happened

Shaw entered halftime tied at 34-34 after a tightly contested first half. Shaw got the job done in the paint in the first half, scoring 18 of its 34 points close to the basket.

Winston-Salem then snagged a 50-48 advantage before Shaw responded by going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Thomas' jumper, to seize a 53-50 lead with 7:53 to go in the contest. The Rams narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Bears still held on for the 65-63 win. Shaw got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 31 total points.

Game Notes

» Caleb Simmons notched a double-double for the second straight contest. 
» Shaw outscored Winston-Salem 31-29 in the second half after a halftime tie to pick up the victory.
» The Shaw bench made an impact by scoring 30 points to its scoring output.
» Caleb Simmons and Amir Waddell came off the bench to score 11 and 10 points, respectively.
» Shaw had a 33-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Shaw defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Shaw got a game-high 10 rebounds from Caleb Simmons.

Quotes
 
"This definitely was a boost for us tonight. Not because it was Winston-Salem State but because it was the next game on our schedule. We didn't want to dig ourselves in so deep of a hole, being 1-3 [in the conference]. Tonight, we are 2-2 with the next three games at home. We can make a statement if we can take care of home first." – Shaw Head Coach Bobby Collins

"It was a great win. We needed that one. The team came together. We listened to coach, bought in and won the game – Shaw forward Amiri Waddell

"I told them if we continued to play hard in the last six minutes, we would win. I was extremely proud of our effort, how hard we played for 40 minutes." – Head Coach Collins

"When Amiri set the screen, the big stepped over. Being a guard, I knew a big couldn't check me. I went around him and made the easy play." – Shaw guard D.J. Thomas on his game winning shot in the paint with five seconds left.

"In the second half, I told D.J. I can live or die with the shot that he takes, not the one that he creates." – Head Coach Collins
 

Up Next

The Bears home stand continues Wednesday, January 11 as they face the Livingstone College Blue Bears. Tip off is scheduled for 8 PM inside Spualding Gymnasium.