Shaw Grounds Lady Falcons, 67-49

Shaw Grounds Lady Falcons, 67-49

February 28, 2006

(CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA)  In order to be the champion you must first beat the champion.  Well, Shaw University continued its dominance in the CIAA and cruised to a 67-49 quarterfinal victory over Saint Augustine’s College.

The three-time defending CIAA Champions had their hands full in the first half of play with the Lady Falcons of Saint Augustine’s College.  Saint Augustine’s held an early 7-2 advantage and maintained their lead until Shaw’s Leslee Anderson (9 points) tied the game at 13 at the 8:33 mark.  However the Shaw Lady Bears took their first lead 25 seconds later on another Anderson jumper and took a 28-19 advantage into the locker room at halftime.  Shaw’s bench provided much of the spark, outscoring Saint Augustine’s bench 17-9 in the first 20 minutes.  Neither team’s field goal shooting was very impressive in the first half.  Shaw shot 33.3 percent (10 of 30) and Saint Augustine’s managed only 26.9 percent (7 of 26).

Shaw (24-4) bolted out of the phone booth like Superwoman, going on a 12-4 run by the 11:34 mark of the final period to open up a 40-23 advantage.  Saint Augustine’s had a little fight left, going on a 7-0 run over the next 2:24 to trim the deficit to 40-30.  Unfortunately in the end, the Shaw mystique was just too much to overcome for the second seeded Lady Falcons of Saint Augustine’s.

Leading scorers for Shaw were Nastassia Boucicault with 18 and Erika Bailey with 16.  Saint Augustine’s (17-12) was led by LaConya Polk’s double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Shaw moves on to face North Carolina Central in Friday’s other semifinal matchup.  The Lady Bears and Lady Eagles will tip-off at 3:00 P.M. inside the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.