Nov. 9, 2004

Durham, NC - The Shaw University Lady Bears emerged from the loser's bracket and swept the Lady Rams 6-0 to capture the 2004 CIAA Women's Bowling Championship on Tuesday afternoon at AMF Durham Lanes in Durham, NC. Needing to win two straight best-of-five Baker Matches, the Lady Bears won six straight games and ended WSSU's hope of a CIAA Bowling Championship title.

The Lady Rams, who sat around all morning watching consolation-bracket bowling action looked poised to capture the 2004 Bowling Championship as the winner of the consolation bracket had to hand WSSU two straight match losses.

The Lady Bears proved that they were up to the challenge and showed why they entered the day as the #1 seed as they defeated the Lady Broncos of Fayetteville State and the Lady Bulldogs of Bowie State and captured the consolation-bracket title.

The victory over the Lady Bulldogs assured the Lady Bears that they would have an opportunity to bowl for the 2004 CIAA Championship, yet faced them with the stiff challenge of defeating WSSU twice.

The Lady Bears rose to that challenge and did just that. They captured the first Baker Match victory in three straight games, defeating WSSU 119-146 in the first game, 148-202 in the second game, and 150-172 in the third game, setting up a best-of-five Baker Match for the title.

The Lady Bears kept right on rolling as they squeaked out a 151-147 win in the first game of the match and used three straight strikes in the ninth and tenth frames of game two to capture a 190-178 win and set up the final, and deciding game.

WSSU fell short in the third game 133-196 and was handed a heartbreaking CIAA title loss. The runner-up Lady Rams, who advanced to the 2004 NCAA Women's Bowling National Championship last season, did have a bright spot on the morning as WSSU's Lashonda Horton was named to the All-Tournament Team as she led the Lady Rams, and the CIAA in bowling average over the three days of competition with 188.3 pins per game.

For more information on WSSU Women's Bowling, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at wssurams.com

Finals Breakdown:
Match 1:
WSSU 119-Shaw 146
WSSU 148-Shaw 202
WSSU 150-172

Match 2:
WSSU 147-Shaw 151
WSSU 178-Shaw 190
WSSU 133-Shaw 196

All-Tournament Team:
Lashonda Horton-WSSU
Joia King-Shaw
Michelle Moore-Shaw
Sondra Hulsether-Fayetteville State
Jessica McCandless-St. Paul's