Shaw seized by visiting vikings
Bears Relinquish Lead Mid-Way in Second Half
February2, 2008 – Raleigh, NC – The Shaw University Bears took on the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University. Despite scoring 25 points turnovers and surfacing to take a lead mid-way in the second half, the Bears dropped the home court competition to ECSU, 76 – 66. Shaw’s record now stands at 4 – 16 Overall, 1 – 11 CIAA, and 1 – 5 Division.
In the first half of play, the Bears bombed away to bucket 11 of 28 (39.3%) attempted field goals; which included Shaw sinking three of eight (37.5%) three-point attempts. Shaw jumped out early for a 4 – 2 lead after a jumper by #20 Robert “And One” Espinosa (Forward / 6 – 7 / 195 / Senior / Plainfield, NJ) and then a lay-up by #34 John “Kash” Kornegay (Guard / 5 – 10 / 180 / Senior / Detroit, MI). Unfortunately, the Vikings voyaged on an 8 – 0 scoring run to take a 10 – 4 lead. Shaw skipped back in front with a 12 – 10 lead after #11 John “Downtown” Douros (Guard / 6 – 2 / 180 / Junior / Raleigh, NC) dialed from deep, Kornegay ripped through the ECSU defense for two and then followed with his second made three-pointer. Unfortunately, the visiting team tallied 13 unanswered points to lead 23 – 12 with a little less than nine minutes remaining in the first half. The Vikings surged ahead to lead by as many as 13, but the Bears kept the Vikings within their reach as they amassed 16 points off of 10 forced turnovers. Shaw reduced their double digit deficit to six points, 32 – 26 ECSU, just inside the two minutes mark. The Bears pressed forward as #3 Jonathan “Play Maker” Mudd (Guard / 6 – 1 / 170 / Sophomore / Miami, FL) nailed a three-pointer and Shaw converted on four of four free throw attempts in the closing seconds to be within one, 34 – 33 with five seconds on the game clock. Nevertheless, the Vikings entered the intermission with a 37 – 33 lead after #11 Lansen Leach banked in a basket from behind the arc at the buzzer.
The Bears improved their fair first half field goal percentage to 41.4% (12 / 28). Furthermore, Shaw minimized the Vikings’ breathing room for their fairly fiery 51.9% (14 / 27) in the first half to a belly up 37.9 (11 / 29) in the second. Just inside the 15 minutes mark, Shaw tied the score for the third time, 41 – 41 after #21 Brandon “Game Time “ Greene ( Forward / 6 – 6 / 210 / Slidell, LA) took flight with a backdoor assist from Mudd for the tomahawk throw-down and then #30 Damola “Mr. Post Man” Obadina (Forward / 6 – 5 / 240 / Senior / Minneapolis, MN) knocked down a jumper. The contest was tied twice more until #1 Will “Takeover” Graham (Guard / 5 – 10 / 185 / Junior / Minneapolis, MN) jumped off the injury list to knock down two free throws to give Shaw a 47 – 45 lead with 11:35 left in the game. Both contenders battled vigorously as they tied the game on three more occasions. Unfortunately, the Vikings sprinted off with the momentum tightly grasped in their palms after they built a comfortable cushion with a 14 – 2 scoring run to lead 64 – 52. The late surge was indeed a blow to the heart of the Bears’ pulsating offense, but ECSU sealed the victory by converting six of eight free throw attempts in the final sixty seconds.
The Bears were led in scoring by #30 Damola Obadina (Forward / 6 – 6 / 240 / Senior / Minneapolis, MN) with 16 points (a team high seven rebounds / one steal). Providing additional scoring was #34 John Kornegay (Guard / 5 – 10 / 180 / Senior / Detroit, MI) with 15 points (three rebounds / three assists) and #20 Robert Espinosa (Forward / 6 – 7 / 195 / Senior / Plainfield, NJ) with 11 points (six rebounds).
The Shaw University Bears will travel to Taylor-Whitehead Gymnasium to take on the Tigers of Saint Paul’s College. The CIAA match-up is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
