Bears Athletics

Callwood’s 28 Points Spurs Shaw to 85-67 Victory Over Saint Paul’s

(Raleigh, NC) – A stifling defense and Rodney Callwood’s (left) 28 points off the bench led Shaw to an 85-67 victory over Saint Paul’s.

Shaw (3-0, 3-0 CIAA) dominated the lane during the game, scoring a total of 60 points in the paint versus 28 for Saint Paul’s (0-3, 0-2 CIAA).

“We knew we had the height advantage,” said Shaw Head Coach, Cleo Hill, Jr. “Our challenge was to execute the game plan. We did that well in the second half.”

He continued, “We look good statistically, but there are things we need to improve on that don’t show up there. Our biggest problem seems to be playing hard enough in the first half.”

The two teams traded bucket for bucket through much of the first half, with three ties and five lead changes during the first 15 minutes of the game.

With about six minutes left in the game, Shaw switched from an effective man-to-man defense to a 1-3-1 zone that stifled the Tigers from the field. During that stretch, the Bears outscored the Tigers 10-3, with all three of Saint Paul’s points on free throws.

Perhaps not surprisingly, that run also coincided with Callwood’s reappearance in the game. With 11:12 left in the first half, Callwood committed his second foul and was pulled from the game. With 6:06 left in the half, he came back into the game, and within a minute, the Bears had begun to claim dominance in the game.

The second half opened where the first had left off. The Bears reeled off 11 points before the Tigers hit their first bucket. In the first four and a half minutes of the second half, Shaw outscored Saint Paul’s 17-2, stretching their lead to 22 at 55-33. The lead remained over 20 until the last minute of the game.

On the game, the Bears outrebounded the Tigers 45-25. The Bears shot 65.6 percent in the second half – 56.5 percent overall. They held the Tigers to 39.3 percent shooting on the night.

Callwood amassed his 28 points despite the five minutes on the bench in the first half, and despite four for ten shooting from the free throw line. Two other Bears – Darryl Johnson and Raheem Smith – had 13 points apiece. Johnson and Callwood led the Bears with seven rebounds apiece. Smith led the Bears in assists with eight.

For the Tigers, George Leseur led the scoring with 20, while Roger Lassiter had 16. Lassiter and Eugene Whitaker led Saint Paul’s with five rebounds apiece.

The Bears next play at Elizabeth City State at 7:30 p.m on December 1.

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