Boxscore
RALEIGH, N.C. - Saint Augustine's College fought valiantly in the end but dug too deep of a hole in the first half of a 75-69 CIAA women's basketball loss to crosstown rival Shaw Thursday at Spaulding Gymnasium.
Junior guard Brittany Torain (Warner Robins, Ga.) led five double-figure scorers with 14 points for the Lady Falcons (17-10 overall, 11-6 CIAA, 5-5 Southern Division), who will be either the No. 4 or No. 5 Southern Division seed in next week's CIAA Tournament based on Saturday's contest between Southern Division champ Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone, which is 4-5 in the division.
Freshman center Umeka Benson (Charlotte, N.C.), named CIAA rookie of the year Wednesday, posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Crystal McCaffity (Havelock, N.C.) and junior guard-forward Allison Sikes (Richmond, Va.), named CIAA player of the year Wednesday, both added 12 points and senior guard-forward Le'Kiesha White (Richmond, Va.) had 11 points in addition to 18 rebounds and four assists for the Lady Falcons, who fell behind 43-31 at halftime.
Kyria Buford scored 21 points and had eight rebounds for the Lady Bears (17-11, 10-7 CIAA, 6-4 Southern Division), who clinched the No. 2 seed in the Southern Division for the CIAA Tournament. Demaria Liles added 20 points and 15 rebounds and Allyssa Lane scored 16 points while Aslea Williams scored 10 points for the taller Lady Bears, who outscored the Lady Falcons 56-26 in the paint.
The Lady Falcons led 9-4 in the first four minutes on McCaffity's three-pointer before the Lady Bears surged ahead. Lane's layup gave the Lady Bears a 27-18 lead, capping a 23-9 run. The spurt gave the Lady Bears a working margin the rest of the evening, forcing the Lady Falcons to play catch-up.
Led by 10 points and eight rebounds from Benson and eight points and 11 rebounds from White in the second half, the Lady Falcons almost came back. The Lady Falcons nearly erased an 18-point second-half deficit when back-to-back threes by McCaffity and Torain closed the gap to 64-59, capping a 19-6 Lady Falcon run.
The Lady Falcons had chances to pull even closer but missed shots and turnovers killed their opportunities. Buford and Liles combined to score 10 of the Lady Bears' final 11 points in the final seven minutes to hold the Lady Falcons at bay.
The Lady Falcons attempted a season-high 32 three-pointers in their comeback bid, but only made eight. It led to them shooting 31 percent from the floor while the Lady Bears made 44 percent of their shots including 49 percent in the first half when they built their 12-point lead.
