RALEIGH, NC --The Shaw women's basketball team rallied from a 10-point deficit at 53-43 with 6:06 remaining in the fourth quarter to knock off the Livingstone Blue Bears 66-58 at home Thursday

The Lady Bears (7-10, 5-5) had four players score in double figures, led by Leasia Matthews, who had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Mikyah Finley added 16 points and three steals from the bench and Ashara Spruill helped out with 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals off of the bench.

Sokhna Toure pulled down two offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Shaw, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into 11 second chance points.

The Shaw defense caused its share of mistakes in Thursday's game, forcing 22 Livingstone turnovers while committing 20. Those takeaways turned into 29 points on the offensive end of the floor. Spruill's four steals led the way individually for the Lady Bears.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 6-4 advantage, Shaw went on a 5-0 run with 3:37 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Arianna Lopez, to increase its lead to 11-4. The Lady Bears then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with an 11-6 advantage. Shaw relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 11 points.

Shaw kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 7:06 mark in the second period to increase its lead to 24-14. The Blue Bears cut into that lead, but the Lady Bears still enjoyed a 29-25 advantage heading into halftime. Shaw forced six Livingstone turnovers in the period and turned them into seven points.

Shaw then lost its advantage in the third quarter and trailed the Blue Bears 45-38 entering the fourth. Shaw took advantage of four Livingstone turnovers in the quarter, scoring three points off of takeaways.

Shaw narrowed its deficit to 58-57 before going on a 9-0 run to seize a 66-58 lead with 14 seconds to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Shaw took advantage of seven Livingstone turnovers in the quarter, scoring 11 points off of those takeaways.

Game Notes

» The Bears rallied from a seven-point 45-38 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» The Lady Bears shot well from three point range, knocking down seven of 17 long range attempts.
» Shaw held the Blue Bears to only 38.7 percent shooting from the field.
» The Shaw bench made an impact by scoring 34 points to its scoring output.
» Mikyah Finley and Ashara Spruill came off the bench to score 16 and 15 points, respectively.
» Mahogany Collins made an impact defensively with eight blocks in the game.
» The Shaw defense forced 22 turnovers.
» The Lady Bears were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording nine blocks as a team.
» Shaw cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Leasia Matthews and Mikyah Finley led the Bears with a game-high 16 points apiece.
» Shaw got a team-high eight rebounds from Ashara Spruill.

Up Next
Shaw returns to action February 4th as they host the Claflin University Panthers. Tipoff is slated for 6 PM inside Spaulding Gymnasium.