Anthony Welch, Jr., came off the bench to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds to spark the Livingstone College Blue Bears to a 96-89 victory over Shaw University Saturday night.

Trailing 51-47 at the half, Welch scored seven consecutive points to take Livingstone on a 13-2 run and change what was an 81-76 deficit to an 89-93 lead.

Junior guard Mark Thomas scored a game high 25 points, grabbed five rebounds and only committed one turnover while converting big free throws down the stretch.

Junior guard Jody Hill, Jr., also paced the Blue Bears with 16 points and one turnover.

The Blue Bears improved their record to 16-5 overall and 8-4 in the CIAA, while Shaw dropped to 13-9 overall.

Both teams had similar shooting percentages, but the difference in the game was at the free throw line. The Blue Bears shot 67.7 percent (21-31), while Shaw hit 12-of-22 shots (54.5 percent).

Livingstone travels to Fayetteville State University on February 13th for a 7:30 p.m. CIAA Southern Division contest.