Monday, March 14, 2005

SHAW DEFEATS CARSON-NEWMAN TO CLAIM SCHOOL'S REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

           RALEIGH , NC – Shaw University patiently rallied from an early deficit to defeat Carson-Newman College, 67-53, as the Lady Bears celebrated the school’s first NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Atlantic Regional Championship inside Shaw’s packed C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium in Raleigh , NC .  Shaw now improves to 32-1 on the season, to set a school record for victories in a season. 

Carson-Newman (25-8) used an 8-0 run midway through the first half as Tiffany Parker’s tip-in put the Lady Eagles ahead 15-7.  The Lady Eagles held their largest lead of the game at 17-8 on a tip-in by Nicole Avrett with 10 minutes 58 seconds remaining in the first half.

“I am proud of the way our girls handled themselves tonight in a very hostile environment. I thought we executed our game plan really well to start the game off, and I think maybe put a little shock into Shaw. I don’t think they expected us to come out and do what we did. We’ll leave here knowing that we gave them one heck of a run.”

The Lady Bears were kept in the game by stellar defense and tournament MVP Kiarsha Curtis’ offense.  Shaw pulled to within one point on three different occasions before Joy Hairston’s lay-up at the 2:26 mark of the half have Shaw the 27-26 lead, a lead they would never relinquish.  Curtis’ three-pointer at the buzzer extended Shaw’s lead to 34-28 at halftime.

            “They were the No. 3 seed; we were the No. 1 seed, so we expected a good game. They have played well all year, so we expected the kind of game that unfolded. In the first half we were a little bit tight, but we knew we had to pick up the intensity in the second half and I think that is what closed the game out for us.”

            Shaw continued to play outstanding defense and extended its lead to 50-36 on a three-pointer by Jenna Bradford with 13:50 remaining in the second half.  Another Hairston lay-up midway through the half put Shaw a head 58-38.

            But Shaw would not score for the next six minutes and the Lady Eagles took advantage, going on an 11-0 run to cut their deficit to 58-49 on a lay-up by Amy Cate with 4:18 remaining.    By then the Lady Eagles had run out of gas and Shaw pushed its lead back up to 16 before winning by 14.

            Curtis, the 2004-05 South Atlantic Region Player of the Year led all scorers with 22 points.  Boucicault, who was also named to the all-tournament team had 10 points and Hairston, another all-tournament performer had nine.  All-tournament performer Tiffany Parker had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Brooke Johnson, who was also named to the team, had eight.

            Shaw will face Central Arkansas in the Elite 8, in Hot Springs , AR on March 23.