PETERSBURG, VA --The Shaw women's basketball team got a 14-point performance from the bench, but fell 63-45 to the Virginia State Trojans on the road Tuesday.

Mahogany Collins led the Lady Bears (3-7, 1-2) with four points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Leasia Matthews also added 13 points and two steals and Mikyah Finley chipped in as well with six points and three steals.

Jaelyn Richardson pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Shaw, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into nine second chance points.

Shaw forced 15 Virginia State turnovers. The Lady Bears turned those takeaways into four points on the other end of the floor. Finley's three steals led the way for Shaw.

How It Happened

After falling behind 10-2, Shaw went on an 8-0 run with 5:58 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 10. Virginia State then pulled ahead, sending the Lady Bears into the second quarter down 17-12.

The Lady Bears continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 31-18 halftime deficit.

Shaw's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Lady Bears faced a 47-29 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Shaw played well near the basket, scoring six of its 11 points in the paint.

Virginia State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 52-31 advantage before Shaw went on a 5-0 run, finished off by D'Ayzha Atkinson's jumper, to shrink the deficit to 52-36 with 6:20 to go in the contest. Virginia State responded and outscored the Lady Bears the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 63-45.

Game Notes

» The Shaw bench made an impact by adding 14 points to its scoring output.
» The Shaw defense forced 15 turnovers.
» The Bears were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying six blocks as a team.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Leasia Matthews led the Lady Bears with 13 points.
» Shaw got a game-high 11 rebounds from Mahogany Collins.

Up Next
Shaw returns to the court Sunday, December 21 as they head to Virginia Union for a non-CIAA matchup. Gametime is 2:00 PM.