Bears Athletics - Shaw Loses Two in Tangerine Tournament

Raheem Smith’s 21 Not Enough As Shaw Loses to UMass-Lowell 80-70

(Winter Park, FL) – Three Bears scored in double figures, but it was not enough to overcome key turnovers, poor inside shooting, and a hot three-point shooter as Shaw lost to UMass-Lowell 80-70 at the Tangerine Tournament.

Shaw (5-4, 4-0 in the CIAA) got 21 points from Raheem Smith (right), 12 from Michael Smith, and 11 from Adrian Bascom, but never took advantage of their ability to get the inside shot – while the Bears had 20 layup attempts, they converted only six.

UMass-Lowell (7-3, 4-2 in the Northeast 10), got a burst of offense from Kevin Carr whose 23 points included six treys. Kyle Caiola led both teams with 25 points, 13 of those coming off free throws – many late in the game.

For much of the first half, the teams played evenly, with six lead changes in the first 13 minutes.

With 7:40 left in the first half, Darryl Johnson hit a jumper to give the Bears an 18-17 lead. For the next three and a half minutes, the Bears went on a shooting drought, hitting only one of five from the field. The River Hawks built a 31-21 lead which included threes by both Carr and Caiola.

By the half, the River Hawks had built a nine-point lead.

The Bears spent the second half trying to get themselves back in the game, but missed key layups and committed turnovers in critical spots.

As they had the night before against Rollins, the Bears suffered a second half meltdown from the field. With 8:42 left in the game, Shaw’s Michael Smith stole the ball and ran the length of the court for a dunk to make the score 57-55 for Lowell.

For nearly seven minutes, the Bears did not hit a shot from the field, and committed two key turnovers on successive possessions. To make matters worse for the Bears, Carr and Caiola hit four straight three pointers between them.

While the Bears struggled to find their inside touch, their drives to the basket did keep them at the foul line. Thus, when Bascom tipped in a rebound with less than a minute left in the game, he cut the River Hawk lead to four.

With 27 seconds left in the game, Raheem Smith hit a three of his own to again cut the deficit to four, 74-70. The Bears sent UML to the foul line for the rest of the game, allowing the River Hawks to build the final ten-point margin.

Britain Kelly led the Bears in rebounds with five and Raheem Smith led the team with three assists. UML’s center Ali Kanaan led both teams in rebounds with 13.

The Bears return to action Saturday when they host Lincoln (PA) in a CIAA game at 7:30 in C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

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December 30, 2009