RALEIGH, NC --Leasia Matthews scored 22 points and D'Ayzha Atkinson had 12 more, but the Lady Bears fell to the Bowie State Bulldogs 49-45 at home Monday.

Matthews led the Lady Bears (6-8, 4-3) with 22 points. Atkinson tacked on 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals and Ashara Spruill chipped in as well with five points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.

Atkinson pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Shaw, grabbing 17 boards and turning them into two second chance points.

The Shaw defense held Bowie State shooters to just 27.6 percent from the field.

How It Happened

After falling behind 6-0, Shaw went on a 5-0 run with 6:43 left in the first quarter to narrow its deficit to 6-5. Bowie State answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Bears down 12-9 entering the second quarter.

Bowie State kept adding to that lead, building a 16-9 advantage before Shaw went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Mikyah Finley, to narrow its deficit to 16-14. Bowie State responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Bears trailing 23-14 heading into halftime.

After intermission, Shaw cut its deficit to 32-28 before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Matthews, to grab a 33-32 lead with 1:12 to go in the third. Bowie State responded to seize a 36-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Bowie State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 47-40 advantage before Shaw went on a 5-0 run to shrink the deficit to 47-45 with 1:15 to go in the contest. Bowie State responded and outscored the Lady Bears the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 49-45. Shaw fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 10 points.

Game Notes

» Leasia Matthews, D'Ayzha Atkinson, and Ashara Spruill combined to account for 87 percent of the Bears points.
» Mahogany Collins contributed defensively with nine blocks in the contest.
» Shaw lost despite a 45-42 rebounding advantage.
» The Shaw defense forced 17 turnovers.
» The Lady Bears were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying 13 blocks as a team.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 17 offensive boards in the game.
» Leasia Matthews led the Bears with a game-high 22 points.
» Shaw got a game-high 15 rebounds from Ashara Spruill.

Up Next
Shaw takes on WSSU Saturday, January 17 inside Spaulding Gymnasium. Tipoff is slated for 2 PM.