PETERSBURG, VA --The Shaw men's basketball team scored 32 points off of turnovers, but fell 90-79 to the Virginia State Trojans on the road Tuesday.

The Bears (3-3, 0-1) had three players score in double figures, led by DJ Thomas, who had 22 points and two steals. KJ West tacked on 14 points and five steals and Ahmil Flowers chipped in as well with 12 points and three steals from the bench.

The Shaw defense was a problem in Tuesday's game, forcing 28 Virginia State turnovers while committing 14. Those takeaways turned into 32 points on the other end of the floor. West's five steals led the way individually for the Bears.

How It Happened

After falling behind 15-11, Shaw went on a 7-0 run with 11:42 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Thomas, to take an 18-15 lead. The Bears then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 49-40.

Virginia State kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 71-58 advantage before Shaw went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Thomas' layup, to shrink the deficit to 71-63 with 6:48 to go in the contest. Virginia State responded and outscored the Bears the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 90-79. Shaw capitalized on 17 Virginia State turnovers in the period, collecting 21 points off those turnovers.

Game Notes

» The Shaw bench came alive by scoring 50 points to its scoring output.
» DJ Thomas and Ahmil Flowers came off the bench to score 22 and 12 points, respectively.
» The Bears were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
» Shaw got a team-high four rebounds from Kobe Jones.
» Shaw shot just 39.3% from the floor compared to the Trojans connecting on 50% of their shots.

Up Next

The Bears will look for their first CIAA win on the road Thursday afternoon as they travel to Bluefield, WV to fave the Bluefield State Big Blue. Tipoff is slated for 4 PM.