ORANGEBURG, S.C.--D'Ayzha Akinson scored 21 points, but the Shaw women's basketball team fell to the Claflin Panthers 64-52 on the road Wednesday.

Akinson added five rebounds and two steals to her 21 point game to lead the Lady Bears (9-14, 5-8). Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes helped out with six points, 10 rebounds and two blocks and Mikyah Finley chipped in with six points and three steals.

Led by Akinson's two offensive rebounds, Shaw did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in seven second chance points.

The Shaw defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Wednesday's game, forcing 15 Claflin turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 13 points on the offensive end of the floor. Finley's three steals led the way individually for the Lady Bears.

How It Happened

Shaw started off strong, putting together a 12-11 lead heading into the second quarter. Shaw did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring eight of its 12 points close to the basket.

The Lady Bears could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 26-18 after scoring just six points in the second stanza.

Claflin continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 43-28 advantage before Shaw went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 43-33 with one second to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Shaw knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 15 total points.

Claflin kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 56-40 advantage before Shaw went on a 6-0 run to shrink the deficit to 56-46 with 4:04 to go in the contest. Claflin responded and outscored the Lady Bears the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 64-52.

Game Notes

» The Lady Bears held the Panthers to only 35.2 percent shooting from the field.
» Shaw lost despite a 41-39 rebounding advantage.
» The Shaw defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Shaw got a team-high 10 rebounds from Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes.

Up Next

Shaw returns to action Saturday February 15 as they travel to Charlotte, NC to face the JCSU Golden Bulls in a nationally televised match up. Tipoff is slated for 1 PM.