Shaw Lady Bears Prepare for NCAA D-II Elite Eight

Shaw Lady Bears Prepare for NCAA D-II Elite Eight

March 17, 2011

(RALEIGH, NC)-  The Shaw University women’s basketball team is in final preparations before heading to Saint Joseph, MO, where they will play in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.  They will take on Central Region champion Metro State (30-2), Tuesday, March 22 at 3:30 p.m. (eastern).
 
The Lady Bears (24-11), the eighth seed in the Atlantic Region, earned their spot in the Elite Eight with a win over conference rival Johnson C. Smith in the regional championship, 74-54.  Shaw is the only team with double-digit losses and the only eighth seed to survive to the quarterfinal round.
 
The Bears played their way into the NCAA field by winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) crown with a 62-56 victory over Johnson C. Smith.  The two teams met four times during the 2010-2011 season, with the Lady Golden Bulls winning the two regular season contests while Shaw swept the post-season.
 
Shaw is led by Kyria Buford (6-1, F, Jr., Charlotte, NC) who averaged 16.8 points a game and 8.6 rebounds per game.  Buford was named to the All-Tournament Teams both in the CIAA Championship and the Atlantic Regional.
 
Demaria Liles (6-1, F, Sr., Suitland, MD), who gained eligibility late in the season, has added a strong presence in the paint, averaging 16.2 points and 11.5 rebounds.  She has had double-doubles in all but three of the 12 games she has played, and the Lady Bears have gone 11-1 during that stretch.  Liles was the MVP of both the CIAA and Atlantic Regional Tournament.
 
Aslea Williams (6-1, C, Jr., Akron, OH) also averages double digits with 11.2 points per game.  Brittney Spencer (5-7, G, Jr., Norfolk, VA) led the CIAA in assist with five per game.
 
The Lady Bears, who specialize in a smothering 2-3 zone, have held opponents to 62.6 points per game and 33 percent shooting.  In comparison, Shaw has averaged 71.5 points per game and shot 39.7 percent from the field.
 
Shaw enters Elite Eight play on a ten-game winning streak having won their last three regular season games, the four games of the CIAA Tournament and the three games in the Atlantic Regional.
 
This is Shaw’s third trip to the Elite Eight, having appeared there in both 2005 and 2006.  The Lady Bears have won the CIAA Championship for six of the last nine years.
 
The game will be broadcast on radio by WSHA-FM and video can be viewed at www.ncaa.com