Shaw women fall in national semifinal 63-46

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Shaw missed shots in every form. There were blown layups, wayward 3-point attempts, misfired jump shots and errant free throws in the first half of Wednesday's night's Division II national semifinal against Clayton State. Despite a poor early offensive showing, the underdog Bears made a run at keeping its amazing streak alive.

Shaw's season ended with a 63-46 loss to Clayton State at St. Joseph Civic Arena, ending an 11-game winning streak. The eighth seed of the Atlantic Region's drive for an unlikely national championship finally ran out of gas.

Clayton State Ends Shaw's Cinderella NCAA Run

Saint Joseph, MO - They never wore glass slippers - more like well-worn steel-toed work boots - but Shaw remained the Cinderella of this year's NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament until Clayton State knocked them out of the dance by beating the Lady Bears 63-46 in the national semi-final.

Shaw was hamstrung by poor shooting and a plague of turnovers, often when trying to push the ball inside.

"We didn't play well tonight," said Shaw Head Coach Jacques Curtis. "Some of that had to do with them and some of that had to do with us. Every time we had a chance to make a run, we would have a turnover or something that just kept letting it get away.

"When we took the lead by one, we thought we had something," he continued. "But we let it get away."

The Lady Bears took a lead with 15:58 left in the game when Demaria Liles drained two free throws to give Shaw a 34-33 lead.

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Late basket lifts Shaw women to semifinals

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Brittney Spencer's pass didn't look like it would reach the intended target. Without the junior guard's vision, Shaw's women's team likely would have seen its storybook season come crashing down. Spencer hit Brittany Ransom with a pass that eluded the fingertips of two Metro State defenders in the closing seconds of Tuesday afternoon's Division II national quarterfinal at St. Joseph Civic Arena.

Ransom's spinning layup bounced off the glass and caromed around the rim and down as time expired to give the Bears a 46-45 win.

The Spencer-Ransom connection provided a thrilling end to a game in which both teams shot just a shade over 30 percent. The hero proved to be a reserve guard who averages only 6.8 points per game.

Metro State loses at buzzer in women's Elite Eight

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Brittany Ransom's layup at the buzzer knocked Metro State out of the women's basketball NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Tuesday. The Roadrunners lost 46-45 to Shaw (N.C.) University. Their season ended at 30-3, while Shaw improved to 24-11.

"I knew the ball was coming," Ransom, who scored a game-high 13 points, told the The (Charlotte) News & Observer. "I didn't know how much time was left, but I had to make the basket somehow." Metro State, which led virtually the entire game, held a four-point lead with 19 seconds left after Jasmine Cervantes made 1-of-2 free throws for the Roadrunners.

But Kyria Buford, who was 2- for-17 from the field in the game, made a 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds remaining to cut Metro State's lead to 45-44.

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