RALEIGH, N.C. - To say freshman Bakir Cleveland (Newark, N.J. /University) was struggling for the last three games would be an understatement.
 

However, got to work before and after practice, and he realized the fruits of his labor as the guard tallied a career-high 25 points as the Lincoln University men's basketball team defeated Shaw, 96-90, Wednesday in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action.
 

After shooting just 2-of-24 in the previous three games, Cleveland shot 9-of-16 from the floor – including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc to record his career scoring mark. It's just the second time this season he has scored at least 20 points.
 

It was a hotly contested meeting that featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes. Cleveland had its fingerprints over the final lead change with a pair of free throws, a three-pointer, and a fast-break dunk. Lincoln sealed the game by going 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.
 

For the Lions, it was a matter of better three-point defense in the first half as Shaw shot 62.5 percent from beyond the arc in the first half in taking a six-point lead into the break. The Bears made just 22.2 percent from three-point range in the second half as Lincoln outscored SU by 12 points in the second half.
 

Junior Zahrion Blue (Princeton, N.J./Princeton), the CIAA's leading scorer, finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds – his seventh double-double of the year.
 

Redshirt junior Isaiah Miles (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park) and freshman Janaie Coates-Sinues (Newark, N.J./University) scored 11 points each, while junior Alex Nunnally (Washington, D.C./Cesar Chavez Parkside) finished with 10 points. Junior Korey Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) dished out a team-high five assists to go along with eight points.
 

Lincoln (17-9 overall, 10-5 CIAA) concludes the regular season 4 p.m. Saturday, hosting Virginia State.