SALISBURY, NC --The Shaw men's basketball team got a 30-point showing from the bench, but the road woes continued as the Bears fell 88-81 to the Livingstone Blue Bears on the road Saturday.

The Bears (11-11, 7-7) had two players score in double figures, led by DJ Thomas, who had 22 points. Ahmil Flowers added 13 points off of the bench and KJ West added nine points and two steals.

Led by Jermaine Vereen's five offensive rebounds, Shaw did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 16 boards that resulted in 15 second chance points.

The Shaw defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 17 Livingstone turnovers while committing 13. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Denari Garrett led the way individually for the Bears with two steals.

How It Happened

After falling behind 19-15, Shaw went on a 6-0 run with 10:56 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Corey Rutherford, to take a 21-19 lead. The Bears then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 36-29.

Livingstone kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 52-43 advantage before Shaw went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Thomas' three, to shrink the deficit to 52-50 with 11:02 to go in the contest. Livingstone responded and outscored the Bears the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 88-81. Shaw got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 20 of its 52 total points.

Game Notes

» The Shaw bench came alive by adding 30 points to its scoring output.
» The Shaw defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game.
» Dj Thomas led the Bears with a game-high 22 points.
» Shaw got a team-high seven rebounds from Trent McIntyre.

Up Next

Shaw will return to action on Wednesday February 14 as they host Claflin University. Game time is scheduled for 8 PM inside Spaulding Gymnasium.