Boxscore

RALEIGH, N.C. – Saint Augustine's University played perhaps its most complete game of the season in upending crosstown rival Shaw University 75-63 in a CIAA men's basketball contest inside Spaulding Gymnasium on Shaw's campus Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013.

The Falcons (13-6 overall, 6-3 CIAA) shot 61.9 percent from the floor including an incredible 72.2 percent on 13 of 18 shots in the second half. The overall mark bested the previous season high of 58.5 percent against Carver Bible College on Dec. 11, 2012.

Defensively, the Falcons harassed the Shaw shooters, forcing the Bears to make only 30.2 percent of their shots. The Bears shot 20.7 percent in the first half which helped the Falcons open a 40-27 halftime lead. The overall shooting percentage was a season low for the Bears.

It all added up to a satisfying win for the Falcons, their fourth in a row. The Falcons remained atop the division standings at 3-0. The victory also snapped a three-game losing skid to the Bears.

“I thought we were focused and played hard,” St. Aug Head Coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. said. “We were able to maintain a level of consistency. “

The Falcons have never lost to Shaw under Blow. Counting his first tenure from 2008-2010, the Falcons are 5-0 against the Bears when he is directing the Falcons.

“It is not me, it is the players,” said Blow, whose team hosts Shaw Feb. 16 in Emery Gymnasium. “[The coaching staff] sets up a game plan and the players try their best to execute it. We have been able to do that against Shaw, but we have to play them again. Shaw is awfully talented and Coach [Cleo] Hill does a good job with his team.”

Playing at a deliberate pace, the Falcons befuddled the Bears with penetration and ball movement on offense. The biggest beneficiary was sophomore center Jon Crawley (Richmond, Va.), who was on the receiving end of some nice passes from senior guards Percy Woods (Washington, D.C.) and Nick Chamblee (Hampton, Va.), who combined for 11 assists. Once Crawley got the ball, there was no stopping his massive 6-8, 300-plus pound frame in the paint.

Crawley had another monster game for the Falcons. He finished with 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He led the team in points, rebounds, blocks and steals, and Crawley even had one assist for good measure. The point total eclipsed a career-high he set in the previous game against Johnson C. Smith on Wednesday. The eight rebounds tied a career-high he also recorded against JCSU. For the second consecutive game, Crawley led the Falcons in points and rebounds.

“Jon has really been coming on lately,” Blow said. “He is gaining confidence with every game. He wants to be good. Hopefully, he can keep working and continue to get better. It is a blessing to see him improve as the year goes on.”

Crawley had two highlight reel plays against Shaw, both in the second half. On defense, he pinned a shot attempt by Shaw's standout player Karron Johnson to the backboard, drawing oohs and aahs from the packed crowd in Spaulding Gymnasium. On the offensive end, Crawley caught a nifty pass from Woods and sent home a one-handed slam dunk, a la Darryl Dawkins style, to halt a Bears' run and help the Falcons re-gain momentum at 59-46 with 8:08 left in the game.

Crawley reflected the effort by the entire team on Saturday. Senior guard Tyquan Stroman (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) added 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting, and redshirt junior Chris Johnson (Hampton, Va.) had 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. Senior forward Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) scored 10 points on 3 of 6 shooting.

“We did a good job controlling the tempo of the game,” Blow said. “We ran what we wanted to run, and we slowed it down when we wanted to slow it down. We moved the ball well and set each other up better than we have all season. We took quality shots.”

Andre Paulk led the Bears with 14 points and eight rebounds. Both Johnson and Curtis Hines, the Bears' scoring leaders, added 10 points apiece but they combined to shoot 4 of 20. Shaw made 5 of 28 three-pointers while the Falcons were 8 of 11 from behind the arc.

The Falcons won despite being outrebounded (36-34) for only the third time this season.
The Falcons lead the CIAA in field-goal percentage defense and points allowed. They rank 11th nationally in Division II in field-goal percentage defense.

“We paid attention to detail on the defensive end of the floor,” Blow said. “We did a good job of making them work, not giving them anything easy.”

As it turned out, the first half decided the outcome. Behind 14-10, the Falcons gradually took control in the first half. Stroman canned a three-pointer and junior guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) made three free throws to cap a 25-11 run for a 35-25 lead. Led by eight points from Crawley and six points each from Chamblee and Joel Kindred, the Falcons took a 13-point lead into halftime.

The second half was more of the same as the Falcons led 57-37 with 12:59 remaining. The Bears made a frantic push to get the deficit down to 11 points, but the Falcons wouldn't let the game slip away.

“We knew they would make a run,” Blow said. “We had to withstand it and get back on track. Other than a lapse in the second half, we did some really good things.”

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, the Falcons return to Emery Gymnasium for a Southern Division matchup against Livingstone College. The contest, which starts at 7:30 p.m., will be televised by WAUG-TV on Time Warner Cable Channel 168. Click on www.saintaugfalcons.com for live stats.

The matchup against Livingstone will be the sixth home game in the last seven contests for the Falcons.