AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Paine College men's basketball team knocked off Shaw in a hard-fought contest by a score of 71-69 in front of a tremendous crowd Saturday evening.

The Lions are now 4-4 on the season.

PC was led by Jocqua Keaton's 15-point, seven-rebound effort. Kole Taylor totaled 14 points and four rebounds while Calvin Johnson accounted for 10 points and 12 boards. Quinnton Jackson notched nine points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks in the victory.

For the game, PC hit 23-of-67 from the floor, including nine-of-27 from the three-point stripe. The Lions canned 16-of-17 from the charity stripe. The team snagged 45 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive glass. PC recorded 15 second-chance points and netted 13 points on the break.

The Lions jumped out to a 9-0 lead after a pair of free throws by Jackson. Up 12-4, Taylor buried a three-ball before Khalid Johnson hit a shot from distance. With 11:01 on the clock, Johnson drilled a shot from downtown for a 24-7 advantage. The lead swelled to 18 after Johnson hit two charity tosses at the 9:09 mark. PC managed to take a 41-30 lead into halftime.

The Bears clawed their way back into the game, tying the contest at the 13:33 mark at 46-46. Shaw took the lead and the teams continued to play close the remainder of the contest. Tied at 54-54, Khalid Johnson converted a three-point play, which gave the home squad the lead for good.

The Lions pushed the advantage to seven with 2:42 to play on a bucket by Keaton. Shaw made it a two-point game with 33 seconds to play, but a last-second turnover by the visitors propelled PC to the victory.  

The Lions return to action Tuesday when they host Abraham Baldwin at 7:30 p.m.