From SAU’s Office of Sports Information:
RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 26) – Shaw University saw why Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) is the best three-point shooting team in the CIAA.
The Falcons rained threes on their crosstown rivals in a 76-74 Southern Division men’s basketball victory inside packed Spaulding Gymnasium on Saturday. SAU was sizzling behind the arc, making a season-high 12 of 21 three-pointers for an astounding 57.1 percent. What’s more amazing is the Falcons have actually shot better from three-point land in three other games this season. The Bears couldn’t tell, however, especially after the visitors swished eight of 10 threes for 80 percent in the second half. Three three-pointers keyed a late surge that helped the Falcons rally from a six-point deficit in the final five minutes.
Ahead most of the contest, the Falcons saw their 13-point second-half lead vanish as the Bears, led by Amir Hinton and Alex Owens, rallied to take a 61-55 lead with five minutes remaining. The contest appeared to be slipping away from the Falcons, but Tyre Gathright (Sr./Wilmington, NC) nailed a three to get the Falcons within 61-58.
Mel’Quan Ames (Jr./Weldon, NC) later added a three to cut the deficit to 64-62, and Rashad George (So./Raleigh, NC) hit a three to put the Falcons ahead for good at 65-64 with 2:47 left.George added a jumper and two free throws for a 69-64 lead, but the Bears wouldn’t go away. Down 74-71, Shaw rebounded a missed free throw and put the ball in the hands of Hinton, the nation’s leading Division II scorer. Hinton tried to send the game into overtime but Craig McDaniel (Sr./Holly Springs, NC) knocked the ball loose as the Shaw guard prepared to shoot a three-pointer.
George immediately grabbed the ball and was fouled with five seconds left. He knocked down both free throws to ice the contest.Both Ames and George contributed mightily for the Falcons (2-3 Southern Division, 6-12 overall). Ames scored a career-high 17 points and added seven rebounds while George scored a career-high 19 points. They combined to make five of eight three-pointers.
The Falcons’ duo complemented Gathright, who led the Falcons with 20 points including 3 of 4 treys. Jalen Gaddy (Jr./Raleigh, NC) finished with nine points on 3 of 5 three-point shooting.
Hinton scored a game-high 23 points for the Bears, but the Falcons bottled him up for much of the contest. He was 5 of 14 from the floor but was 11 of 12 from the free throw line. DaVaughn Kelsie added 17 points, including 5 of 10 three-point shooting, and Owens had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Derrick Randolph chipped in 10 points.
At first, it appeared the Bears (2-2 Southern Division, 8-10 overall) would run over the Falcons in the early moments. The Falcons fell into an 11-0 hole but quickly climbed out of it. By halftime, the Falcons had opened a 32-23 halftime lead, thanks to 11 first-half points from Ames and 10 from Gathright.
The second half started the exact opposite of the first as the Falcons made five of their first seven shots. They led 45-32 before Bears rallied back.
But the Falcons relied on the three-ball to leave Spaulding Gymnasium with a victory.
The SAU men are back at home on Wednesday, Jan. 30, against Livingstone College in a Southern Division contest at Emery Gymnasium. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.
