Kwanza Murray (Summerville, S.C./Summerville (Lackawanna College)) recorded her first double-double of the season as the Lincoln University women's basketball team won their second straight game, defeating Shepherd University 76-51 Saturday afternoon at Manuel Rivero Hall.
 
Lincoln improves to 7-8 with the win while Shepherd drops to 5-7.   The game was the Lions last non-conference game of the season as their remaining contest will all be Central intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) matchups.
 
Murray connected on 10 of 16 shots from the field including a 5-for-7 effort from beyond the arc en route to her 26 point effort.  She also grabbed ten rebounds (nine offensive) and led the team with four steals.  DeAshia Young (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Public Safety Academy (Labette CC)) added 14 points and a team-high four assists while Dominique Allen (Upper Marlboro, Md./Takoma Academy) came off the bench to score 13 points (4-7 FG, 5-8 FT).  Kenzie Spencer (Richmond, Va./Henrico) had a game-high 11 rebounds and four assists on the night.
 
The Lions, who never trailed in the contest,  had a huge second quarter, outscoring the Rams 26-6 to take a 46-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.  Murray had 13 of her 26 points in the quarter, including a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.   Lincoln was able to take full advantage of nine Shepherd turnovers in the period, outscoring the Rams 17-0 in the points of turnovers category in the quarter.
 
Neither team produced much offense in the third quarter with the Rams shaving just six points of the 28-point LU advantage, outscoring the Lions 13-7 in the period.  Murray and Alisia Machado (Brooklyn, N.Y./Medgar Evars Prep (Grambling)) started the scoring in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead back to 26, before the Rams slowly started chipping away,  using a 14-4 run over the next 5:15 to close within 16, 61-45.  This was as close as Shepherd would come as the Lions finished the game on a 15-6 run, including a 7-0 stretch in the final minute to seal the win.
 
Lincoln shot 46.2% (24-52) from the field, 35% (7-20) from beyond the arc and 55.3% (21-38) from the free throw line.  Shepherd shot 26.9% (14-52) from the field, 27.3% (3-11) from three-point range and 58.8% (20-34) from the free throw line.  The Lions held a 43-39 rebounding advantage and scored a total of 31 points of 25 SU turnovers (SU scored 19 of 22 LU miscues).
 
The Lions return to action when they begin a three-game southern swing with a CIAA contest at Fayetteville State University on January 10, 2019.   Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.