SSU shoots 54.8 percent from field, puts four in dub-figs in 88-79 victory over Milligan (Tenn.)

The men's basketball program at Shawnee State University opened up the first day of action at The Show in Kingsport, Tenn. successfully by putting on an offensive display against Milligan (Tenn.) Friday afternoon, as the Bears shot 54.8 percent (34-for-62) from the field and placed four players, including Keith Germain, Tyreke Johnson, Tre Beard and J.R. Lumsden, in double-figures en route to an 88-79 victory over the Buffaloes at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport.

Standing on business

Continuing to show growth as a unit, Shawnee State's offensive consistency and persistence in working to get the best shot available on each possession showed in the final stat rundown, as the Bears shot 20-of-34 (58.8 percent) in the opening half alone and trailed for just 20 seconds over the entire 40-minute contest.

Using their physicality to play bully ball against Milligan during the affair, the Bears blitzed the Buffaloes down inside from 10 feet and in -- ultimately going 28-for-42 (66.7 percent) on its two-point field goal attempts over the course of the contest while scoring 48 of its 88 points in the paint during Friday afternoon's contest.

Shawnee State, who also established a 23-17 rebounding advantage in the opening half en route to a 50-34 halftime lead, maintained that plus-six rebounding mark to the end of the affair en route to finishing with 38 rebounds to Milligan's 32, and added in 21 points off of 14 Milligan turnovers in the nine-point victory.

Germain blitzes Milligan in opening half

Throughout the opening half of competition, Shawnee State's Keith Germain was easily the best player on the floor for either side.

The high-energy forward from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. continued to add to his terrific start to the 2023-24 season by notching his second double-double of the year with a 24-point, 10-rebound effort in the Bears' third straight win.

In the opening half alone, Germain supplied 19 points and eight rebounds on 9-for-13 shooting while posting a block to boot in the first 20 minutes of play. From the 19:08 portion to the 13:04 mark of the opening half, Germain supplied nine consecutive Shawnee State points and 13 out of the Bears' 15 tallies en route to helping the Bears take a 17-13 lead, punctuating his strong start by taking a no-look feed from Shawnee State guard Tyreke Johnson and finishing with a two-handed rack attack. Germain also added in a nasty one-handed putback slam as part of his tremendous opening half output -- helping Shawnee State take a 16-point halftime advantage in the process.

Tyreke stuffs the stat sheet

Stuffing the stat sheet like that of a Thanksgiving turkey, Shawnee State senior Tyreke Johnson showcased the winning recipe that the combo guard brings to the table on a game-by-game basis in the Bears' third-straight victory.

Playing a team-high 36 out of the 40 minutes, Johnson's efficiency never wavered -- and, in fact, only grew as the contest went along as the senior went 7-for-10 from the floor en route to a 7-for-15 mark for the contest. Johnson went 6-for-10 from the field in the second half en route to scoring 14 of his 19 points in the final 20-minute stanza, and from the 15:27 to 10:03 marks of the second half, scored or assisted on 15 consecutive Shawnee State points to hold Milligan at bay before finishing off the Buffaloes for good with an and-one with 1:45 to play in the contest.

Johnson ultimately finished with 19 points, six assists, five rebounds, and four steals while notching a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio in the nine-point victory.

Beard, Lumsden continue steady play

Consistently steady players with their production on both ends of the floor in their own right, Shawnee State guard Tre Beard and Shawnee State forward J.R. Lumsden were just that again in Friday's victory.

Beard, who popped off for his second double-figure scoring output in a row, notched 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field in the opening half by showing off his deft shooting touch with his silky smooth jumper and a mid-range floater, then added in all seven of his tallies from the 9:02 to 5:28 marks of the second half of competition to help provide aid to Johnson offensively. Beard ultimately finished with 17 points on a 5-for-7 mark from the field.

Lumsden, meanwhile, posted six of his 10 points in the opening half by going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, then made his own major contributions in the second half of action by scoring or assisting on six consecutive Shawnee State points from the 5:28 to 4:01 mark of the second half of play. The Toledo, Ohio native finished with 10 points and five rebounds on a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor.

Additional

Elkin Ramirez's eight points, John Dawson's six points and three rebounds, and Tony Webb, Jr.'s five rebounds and four points rounded out the scoring for the Bears -- who face Florida Memorial Saturday evening at 7:45 p.m. at the same site in Kingsport.

For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages at https://twitter.com/SSUBears, https://www.facebook.com/SSUBears, https://www.instagram.com/ssubears/?hl=en, and https://www.youtube.com/@ssubearsathletics/videos. For more information on how to join the SSU Bear Club or for sponsorship of specific SSU players or events, visit https://givetossu.com/bear-club and https://givetossu.com/sponsorthebears.