SSU men's basketball notches 500th program victory with 99-94 triumph over Wilberforce
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wilberforce (OH) (5-9, 1-0) | 33 | 61 | 94 |
|
Shawnee State (5-4, 1-1) | 44 | 55 | 99 |
Teams who come out and compete with a great deal of heart will always be tough to vanquish completely at the end of contests.
However, the Shawnee State men's basketball program found a way.
And as a result, the SSU men are celebrating a major milestone.
Tre Beard followed up his career-high 22-point performance against Point Park (Pa.) by seeing another career-high watermark with a 23-point outing on offensive efficiency numbers that are as good as one could hope for, while Tyreke Johnson and John Dawson combined for 40 points themselves while shooting 11-for-23 from the field together as the trio not only led five double-figure scorers but also led the Shawnee State men's basketball program to its 500th victory as a program with a 99-94 victory over the Wilberforce Bulldogs' men's basketball program Tuesday evening at Waller Gymnasium.
By the numbers
The contest itself was a shootout in every facet as both units combined for 65 made field goal attempts -- including 20 made buckets from beyond the three-point line in the affair.
While Shawnee State allowed Wilberforce to shoot 34-for-74 (45.9 percent) from the field and go 11-for-25 (44 percent) from three-point range in the contest, the Bears countered by going 31-for-58 (53.4 percent) from the floor and 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) from long-distance. The Bears also outrebounded the Bulldogs by a 32-30 margin, and were rock-solid at the free throw line, draining 28 free throws in 37 attempts to amass a 75.7 percent accuracy rate from the charity stripe.
Beard fittingly leads way for Bears
In perhaps a fitting manner, Shawnee State guard Tre Beard, who is not only the most experienced hand returning in terms of playing experience at SSU but also serves as the individual with the greatest familial ties to the Shawnee State men's basketball program, led the scoring output with 23 points to set a career-high for the second consecutive game while also leading Shawnee State to its 500th victory in program history.
Beard, whose father, Pat, played for the Bears from 1993 to 1997, had easily the most efficient outing of his college career as the standout guard simply couldn't miss from the field. Beard went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor in the first half -- and 2-for-2 from long range -- en route to a 12-point performance in the opening half, then amassed a perfect 6-for-6 shooting mark from the free throw line in the second half of competition to claim 11 points in the second half of competition.
Ultimately, Beard's efforts resulted in the lead guard amassing his numbers on incredible efficiency -- as the second-generation Bear scored his 23 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field, 3-for-3 shooting from three-point range and an 8-for-8 mark from the free throw line in the contest.
Johnson, Dawson help close out contest
Having helped in their efforts to close out contests in the past, Shawnee State upperclassmen Tyreke Johnson and John Dawson certainly delivered in the same manner Tuesday evening.
Johnson, who nestled in right behind Beard with a 22-point outing on 6-for-13 shooting, also added in six rebounds, four assists and three steals while turning the ball over just twice for a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio in a team-high 36 minutes played. The Woodstock, Ga. native notched 14 points, three steals and two assists in the second half alone while shooting 3-for-7 from the field and 8-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final 20-minute stanza.
Dawson, meanwhile, enjoyed his finest offensive performance as a Bear, notching an 18-point outing on 50 percent shooting from the field. The Huntington, W. Va. product scored eight points in the opening half of competition and 10 points in the second half of action to finish with his aforementioned offensive output while going 5-for-10 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the contest.
From the 9:07 to the 6:43 mark of the second half, Dawson and Johnson combined to score eight of 10 Shawnee State points to help hold Wilberforce at bay as the Bulldogs cut a 19-point Shawnee State advantage all the way down to just three (72-69) with less than 10 minutes to play in the final half of action. The pair then accounted for each of Shawnee State's last seven points -- and eight out of the Bears' final 10 tallies over the game's final 1:44 -- to officially hold the Bulldogs back and help finalize the contest's result.
Germain's explosiveness, Ramirez's shooting key
Two of Shawnee State's premier bucket-getters did much the same Tuesday evening as Shawnee State's Keith Germain and Elkin Ramirez were each big in the final result for the Bears.
Germain, who posted 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks on 5-for-9 shooting in Shawnee State's five-point victory, nabbed eight of his 13 tallies in the second half of competition. The senior forward from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. posted six consecutive points for the Bears to start the second half from the 19:47 to 17:37 marks, and with 8:21 to play in the game, added in arguably the highlight of the contest by taking an alley-oop from Dawson and rising to rim level en route to a vicious finish on the backside on a two-handed rack attack.
Ramirez, who supplied 10 points in 28 minutes off of the bench, scored seven points in the opening half while going 2-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe in the opening half of competition.
Additional
Shawnee State will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 16 when the Bears travel to Ohio Christian to take on the Trailblazers in a River States Conference doubleheader. The men's contest will follow the women's contest and begins at 3 p.m. in Circleville, Ohio.
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