SSU MBB drops tight battle to Simmons (Ky.), 61-58

The Shawnee State men's basketball program suffered a scant three-point setback in Michael Hunter's head-coaching debut Saturday evening in a nonconference road bout against Simmons College of Kentucky Saturday in Louisville, Ky.

Germain enjoys strong outing

Despite the loss, Shawnee State senior forward Keith Germain was crucial in keeping the Bears within reach throughout the contest. The Bears trailed by a 33-22 margin at halftime -- but Germain's efforts, in particular, were critical in keeping the deficit manageable as the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native scored 16 of his 24 points in the opening half of play.

The 2022-23 All-RSC talent finished the contest by going 10-of-20 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line en route to his 24-point effort. Germain also added in a steal and a block to boot.

Ramirez showcases three-point marksmanship

Needing a lift with the Bears down by as many as 10, 48-38, with 9:06 remaining in the game, Elkin Ramirez supplied that lift with his accuracy from behind the arc.

The guard, after not scoring during the opening half of competition, knocked down three second-half three-pointers in a scoring spree that saw the talented Indianapolis, Ind. product provide nine consecutive points and 11 of the Bears' 14 tallies at one point in the second half to bring Shawnee State to within a 50-49 margin. Ramirez ultimately finished with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a 3-of-5 mark from three-point range.

The Bears ultimately closed the gap to as little as a point again on two separate occasions, and, after a free throw each by Tyreke Johnson and Tony Webb, Jr., cut the lead down to 59-58 with 1:02 to play in the contest. However, Simmons' Phillip Richards, Jr. scored on a layup with 31 seconds to play, and two attempted game-tying three-point field goal attempts in the waining moments fell off the mark.

Additional

Shawnee State (0-1) faces an NCAA Division I opponent this coming Wednesday evening when the Bears travel to Morehead State to take on Preston Spradlin's Morehead State Eagles' men's basketball program. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday evening at Ellis T. Johnson Arena in Morehead, Ky.

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