CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 28) – Tyre Gathright (Sr./Wilmington, NC) scored 23 points for Saint Augustine’s University, which led most of the game but fell 62-55 to crosstown rival Shaw University in a CIAA Tournament men’s basketball quarterfinal game at Bojangles’ Coliseum on Wednesday.
The Falcons, the No. 5 Southern Division seed, concluded their season at 11-17 overall. Shaw, the Southern Division champion, advanced to the Friday’s semifinals against either Virginia Union University or Johnson C. Smith University at the Spectrum Center.
Jalen Gaddy (Jr./Raleigh, NC) added 15 points and five rebounds for the Falcons, who led the entire second half until the final 3:30 of the game. Their biggest lead was nine at 41-32 on Gathright’s jumper with 13:36 left in the game.
A 22-11 run put the Bears (16-12 overall) in front for the first time since early in the first half. Derrick Randolph’s layup at the 3:24 mark gave the Bears a 54-52 lead, and the Falcons never led again.
Gathright connected on 9 of 15 shots including 3 of 6 three-pointers for the Falcons. He added seven rebounds, two steals and one block in his final game in a Falcons’ uniform. He finished his collegiate career as a two-time All-CIAA performer and a 1,000-point scorer in his two seasons with the Falcons.
Gaddy was 2 of 4 from the three-point arc and 9 of 10 from the charity stripe for the Falcons, who hit 16 of 22 free throws for 72.7 percent. Their free throw shooting made up for 37.8 percent shooting from the floor including 33.3 percent (5 of 15) behind the three-point line, which was uncharacteristic for the CIAA’s top three-point shooting team. The Falcons also committed 18 turnovers including 11 in the second half.
Amir Hinton, the nation’s Division II leading scorer, tallied 26 points for the Bears. The Falcons neutralized him in the first half as he scored five points. He erupted in the second half, pouring in 21 points including eight straight points to turn a six-point deficit into a tie game at 52-52 with 3:50 left.
Alex Owens had a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Bears, who shot 42.3 percent.
The game was tight in the early going as neither team led by more than three points. The Falcons mounted a run late in the half, outscoring the Bears 12-4 for a 30-22 lead. A deep three-pointer by Randolph bounced in as the horn sounded to trim the Falcons’ lead to 30-25 at halftime. The Falcons started another run in the second half only to see it slip away late.
The contest was also the final game for SAU student-athletes Craig McDaniel (Sr./Holly Springs, NC) Carnell Norfleet (Sr./Williamston, NC), D.J. Harrison (Sr./Winston-Salem, NC) and Ishmael Baldwin (Sr./Kinston, NC).
This was the third meeting between the crosstown rivals this season. The Falcons won the first game 76-74 on the road in late January and lost the second game 76-68 at home in February.
— Office of Sports Information
