Women's Basketball - Shaw Beats Saint Aug's on Last Second Shot

Harrison’s Last-Second Layup Gives Shaw 53-52 Win Over Saint Augustine’s

(Raleigh, NC) – With 1.6 seconds showing on the clock, Shaw’s Janelle Harrison pulled down an offensive rebound and put it back up for a bucket, giving Shaw a 53-52 comeback win over cross-town rival Saint Augustine’s.

With five seconds on the clock and the Shaw down by two, Tanisha McGaughey went to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game. She hit the first, cutting the Saint Augustine’s lead to one.

She missed the second, and a mass of bodies tangled underneath the basket. Shaw’s Shandrea Thomas pulled free with the ball and put up a layup that fell just short. Another scrum, and this time it was Harrison (left) who came up with the ball and hit the layup that won the game for the Lady Bears.

With the win, Shaw (12-6, 7-5 in the CIAA and 1-1 in the Western Division) finds itself in a tie with its cross-town rival Saint Augustine’s (11-8, 7-5 CIAA, 1-1 Division).

Harrison’s last-second bucket gave the Lady Bears their first lead 13:44 in the first half, when Rudeesha Reese’s three gave the Lady Falcons a lead that they would hold until that last second shot.

Turnovers plagued the Lady Bears in the first half, as they gave up the ball 16 times. Saint Augustine’s took advantage of the miscues, scoring 13 points off the turnovers.

The Lady Bears sprinted to an early 8-2 lead in just over two minutes. But the Lady Falcons slowed the pace, and found their shooting stroke.

With 14:40 left in the first, Keyona Bryant hit a jumper to cut the Shaw lead to one, and start an 11-point run that took the Lady Falcons from three points down to eight points ahead with 11:16 left in the half.

The two teams battled evenly for the rest of the first period, with Saint Augustine’s holding a 31-25 lead at the half.

In the second, the Lady Falcons built as much as an 11-point lead, when Eliezer Iceson hit two free throw shots with 16:24 left in the game.

The Lady Bears then scored eight unanswered points over the next three minutes, cutting the lead to three.

With 3:37 left in the game, two McGaughey free throws tied the game at 50. Neither team could find the bottom of the net for nearly three full minutes after that. The Lady Bears missed three attempts at the bucket, and the Lady Falcons four.

With 49 seconds left on the clock, Allison Sikes hit a layup to give the Lady Falcons a two-point lead, and set up the final second heroics.

Harrison had the double-double for Shaw, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Niesha Searles and McGaughey each had 15 points for the Lady Bears. Thomas had 12 rebounds on the night.

Sikes lead Saint Augustine’s with 17 points while Keyona Bryant had ten. Iceson led the Lady Falcons with 12 rebounds.

The Lady Bears travel to Johnson C. Smith on Thursday for a 5:30 game. They return home Monday, February 8 against Livingstone at 5:30.

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