WINGATE, NC – The Shaw University Lady Bears overcame an eight-point second half deficit Tuesday morning, winning 75-67 at Wingate University in Cuddy Arena. With the win Shaw improves to 5-3 overall, while Wingate falls to 4-5 on the season.
Verdine Warner had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Shaw attack. Micah Brooks added 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Tabatha Anderson contributed 12 points and five assists. Bryann Guyton had 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds for the Lady Bears.
Shelby Tricoli led the Bulldogs with a season-high 22 points. Kelli Bonner added 15 points. Chantal Dunbar contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Brittany Hill had eight points, nine assists and four steals for the Bulldogs.
Tricoli three-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 10-4 lead five minutes into the opening half. Brooks’ three-point play tied the first half at 13, while Warner’s bucket gave the Bears a two-point lead at the 10:47 mark. Wingate hit back-to-back triples, giving the Bulldogs a 28-23 lead with 6:56 to go in the half. Warner hit a bucket at the 3:25 mark to cut the lead to one, but free throws from Wingate would give them a five point advantage. Brooks and Kaiya Coleman answered with buckets for the Bears in the last seconds of the first half, cutting Wingate’s halftime lead to just one point, 34-33.
The Bulldogs obtained an eight-point lead four minutes into the second half. The Lady Bears’ Kaula Jacks layup, followed by Brooks’ jumper cut the lead to one at 45-44 with 12:19 to go. A jumper from Jonitta Wallace and two free throws from Warner gave the Lady Bears a four-point cushion. Wingate would cut the lead to one at the 4:49 mark, but another bucket from Warner, followed by a three-pointer from Anderson gave Shaw a 67-61 lead with 1:42 remaining. Anderson and Brooks would knock down seven free throws in the last 1:24 of the game to give the Lady Bears the win.
Shaw shot 47.6 percent from the field, and held the Bulldogs to 32.9 percent shooting range. Shaw had a 46-34 rebounding advantage, outscoring Wingate 44-22 in the paint. The Lady Bears converted 17 Bulldog turnovers into 16 points.
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