Boxscore


RALEIGH, N.C. – Saint Augustine's College gave crosstown rival Shaw a major scare before the Bears pulled out a 64-62 CIAA men's basketball victory Thursday night (Feb. 23) at packed Emery Gymnasium.
 
With the win, the Bears, ranked sixth in Division II, finished unbeaten in the conference for the first time since Virginia Union accomplished the feat in the 1992-93 season. They enter the CIAA tournament next week as Southern Division champions with a record of 24-2 overall, 16-0 in the CIAA and 10-0 in the division.
 
With the loss, the Falcons are now 13-13 overall, 8-8 in the CIAA, and 3-7 in the division. They will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Southern Division heading into tournament play on Tuesday.
 
The Bears, the defending CIAA champs, earned a hard-fought victory against the scrappy Falcons, who took their rival to the limit. Led by 13 points from sophomore guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) and 12 points each from senior guard Jeremy Banks (Elizabeth City, N.C.) and sophomore guard Tyron Laughinghouse (Greenville, N.C.), the Falcons were poised for the upset.
 
The Falcons led briefly in the second half, but the Bears went on a 17-9 run to lead by seven points with 4:36 to go. The Falcons fought back as junior senior Darrell Glass (Washington, D.C.) scored a layup to pull his team within 61-60 with 2:27 remaining.
 
With 25 seconds left, Tony Smith of Shaw drove the lane for a layup to push the lead to 63-60. Kindred drove baseline for a dunk with 11 seconds remaining to pull the Falcons back within one at 63-62.
 
After a St. Aug timeout, the Falcons allowed the Bears to dribble time off the clock before fouling Devon Mclendon, who made one of two free throw attempts with two seconds left. After another Falcon timeout, Banks heaved a desperation shot well behind midcourt as time expired which fell short of the rim.
 
Smith scored 17 points and CIAA player of the year Malik Allen added 16 points for the Bears, who shot 50 percent from the floor and outscored the Falcons in the paint 42-28. The Falcons' depth kept them in striking distance as they outscored the Bears in bench points 24-13.
 
The Bears swept the season series but both games were close. The Falcons lost 70-62 Jan. 21 at Spaulding Gymnasium.
 
Before the game, the trio of Banks, Laughinghouse and Glass were honored along with three women's basketball players and two cheerleaders on Senior Night.