RALEIGH, N.C. – Saint Augustine's University visits Shaw University in a CIAA men's basketball contest at Spaulding Gymnasium on Saturday, January 24, 2015, at 4 p.m.
This is the first meeting of the season between the two crosstown rivals. They will face each other again at Emery Gymnasium on the Harvey D. Heartley, Sr. Court on Saturday, February 14, 2015.
The last time both teams played each other, the Falcons ousted the Bears from the 2014 CIAA Tournament with a 74-59 victory in Charlotte, N.C. They split the regular-season series last season.
The Falcons (1-1 Southern Division, 2-5 CIAA, 8-9 overall) enter Saturday's contest having won two of their last three games. They downed Johnson C. Smith University 68-63 at home on Wednesday, January 21, behind 19 points apiece from guards Raheem Jolliffe (Sr./Fayetteville, NC) and Anthony Gaskins (Soph./Greenville, NC). High-flying forward Quincy January (Fr./Atlanta, GA) added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the streaking Falcons.
Jolliffe and Gaskins are emerging as one of the CIAA's top backcourt duos. Jolliffe leads the Falcons in scoring and ranks second in the conference in points per game (17.2). Gaskins is a versatile guard who averages 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He leads the Falcons in assists and steals and ranks second on the team in rebounds. Gaskins ranks eighth in the CIAA in assists and fourth in steals.
January is quickly earning a reputation as a human highlight reel. Known for his jaw-dropping dunks, January is a top candidate for CIAA Rookie of the Year, having already won three league rookie of the week honors including this week. He leads the CIAA in field goal percentage (68.7) and ranks 14th nationally in Division II in offensive rebounds per game (3.59).
The trio has led the Falcons to a surprise season so far under first-year Head Coach MarQus Johnson. The Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the Southern Division in the preseason.
The Falcons play a reeling but dangerous Shaw squad led by standout guard Larry Richardson, who averages a team-high 15.4 points. Richardson, who ranks fifth in the CIAA in scoring, leads four double-figure scorers for the Bears (0-2 Southern Division, 4-4 CIAA, 9-9 overall), who are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Other top scorers for the Bears are guard Jamar Cooper (12.3 points per game), forward Koron Reed (11.9) and forward Joe Reid (10.4). Cooper leads the Bears in assists (4.6) and steals (2.1). Reed ranks 15th nationally in Division II in double-doubles (8) and total rebounds (169).
Richardson scored 18 points and Reed added 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 74-69 loss to Winston-Salem State University on Wednesday. Reid added 12 points and seven rebounds while Cooper had eight points, five assists and two steals.
Shaw is one of the best defensive teams in the CIAA. The Bears rank third in the conference in scoring defense (67.3) and field goal percentage defense (41.1). The Falcons have improved defensively in the last three games. They have held opponents to fewer than 70 points in wins against Johnson C. Smith (63) and Virginia Union University (66).
