SALISBURY — Twenty straight wins turned 21 for Livingstone’s unbeaten women’s basketball team Saturday night, but you had to see it to believe it.

The Blue Bears stumbled down the stairs against visiting Shaw — and somehow landed on their feet.

“It was a very bad start,” first-year coach Anita Howard said after Livingstone (12-0 CIAA) made only 14 of 75 field goal attempts (18.7 percent) and still prevailed. “It’s been difficult with injuries and sickness, and we hadn’t played a game in a week.”

Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Kyra Crosby (stomach virus), the Blue Bears made only one basket in the first nine minutes yet trailed only 8-7. They rallied around their defense, regrouped and held Shaw (14-10, 7-5 CIAA) without a field goal for more than 12 minutes. When senior Cierra York drove the lane and fed teammate LaBrea Walker for an uncontested layup, Livingstone owned a 27-11 lead.

“That was just good defense,” York said. “We stuck together.”

So did the visitors, who rallied back and took a 37-36 lead on Kaira Coleman’s 12-footer from the left side midway through the second half. LC’s response was led by junior Amber Curtis, who netted 11 second-half points include three game-clinching free throws in the last 40 seconds.

“A win is a win,” Curtis said. “We’ve got targets on our backs. Sometimes that’s how we’ve got to play.”

 

SHAW (47): Jacks 10, Coleman 9, Guyton 7, Warner 5, Tyson 4, Brooks 4, Upchurch 4, Benson 2, Scott-Benson 2, Taylor.

LIVINGSTONE (53): Curtis 11, York 10, Foster 6, Searcy 5, Walker 4, Fowler 4, Daniels 4, Grinage 3, Daniels 2, Roberts 2, Blunt 2,

Shaw  21  26 — 47

Livingstone  29  24 — 53