Harris, Johnson combine for 51 points, 12 rebounds in 79-75 SSU MBB victory over IU-SE
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shawnee State (8-5, 3-1) | 45 | 34 | 79 |
|
Indiana Southeast (6-7, 2-3) | 28 | 47 | 75 |
Watching two skilled scorers find different ways to put the ball in the basket is akin to watching Picasso painting art.
Shawnee State sophomore wing Chaze Harris and Shawnee State junior guard Tyreke Johnson certainly made scoring look like an art form Thursday evening against the Indiana-Southeast Grenadiers' men's basketball program.
The Indiana-Southeast defense was rendered helpless between the pair's efforts as the pair combined for 51 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while shooting 17-for-27 from the field and 16-of-18 from the free throw line, helping Shawnee State take a 45-28 halftime advantage and helping withstand a late push by the Grenadiers to claim a 79-75 victory in a River States Conference men's basketball contest that was held Thursday in New Albany, Ind.
In another high-paced contest, Shawnee State again hit the 50 percent clip from the field from a shooting standpoint, notching a 27-of-54 mark from the field shooting-wise while going 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. The Bears shot a crucial 80 percent from the free throw line (20-for-25), and outrebounded IU-Southeast 37-28 to claim a plus-nine margin on the glass.
The Bears, through the play of Harris and Johnson, committed just seven turnovers as a team -- while forcing the Grenadiers to double that amount on the opposite end of the floor.
Harris, Johnson put on show
Unfazed in most every aspect, Harris and Johnson, simply put, torched the nets throughout the contest in special form.
Harris, who has scored no less than 19 points in each of the four games that the Cleveland native has played in so far this year, posted 28 points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes of action.
The sophomore wing, who took turns with Johnson to give IU-Southeast fits on clearouts and isolations for much of the contest, scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the charity stripe in the first half, then dropped in 15 markers on 5-of-8 shooting while adding in a 5-for-7 clip from the line in the second 20-minute stanza.
The 6-5 wing, who has played point guard a great deal of time on the floor due to his effectiveness at getting to the rim or setting up teammates for clean looks, added in four of his six rebounds and two of his three assists in the second half.
Johnson, meanwhile, enjoyed arguably his most efficient game of the season en route to his 23 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The 6-6 combo guard from Woodstock, Ga. used his vision, craftiness and skilled finishing through contact to knock down each of his first six shots from the field in the contest -- including a perfect 5-of-5 mark from the floor that, paired up with a 3-for-3 shooting mark from the free throw line, allowed Johnson to post 14 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists in the opening half alone. In his 23-point outing, Johnson had two identical-looking and-one finishes that featured the senior hanging and hitting through contact while completing the resulting three-point play.
Ultimately, the duo combined to score 17 consecutive Shawnee State points from the 9:30 to 3:21 marks of the opening half, then went off again in the second half by scoring 16 of Shawnee State's 18 points from the 15:38 to 6:27 markers of the final 20-minute period.
Beard, Germain provide large assists
In an attempt to help out their teammates, Shawnee State junior guard Tre Beard and Shawnee State senior forward Keith Germain each produced in a major way.
Beard, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting and a 3-of-5 mark from three-point range, scored seven first-half points to keep the IU-Southeast defense honest.
Then, in the second half, Germain stepped up.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native, who tallied eight points, seven rebounds, and four blocks, scored on a two-handed finish in transition off of a dump off pass from Johnson, then later in the second half, and with the game hanging in the balance after IU-Southeast rallied to take a 73-71 lead, Germain, following a layup by Harris that tied the score at 73 apiece, cleaned up a missed layup and put his own shot attempt back up and in with 1:14 left to play in the game to give Shawnee State the lead for good.
Additional
Shawnee State, who moved to 8-5 overall and 3-1 in the River States Conference with Thursday's victory, heads to Midway, Ky. to take on the Midway Eagles' men's basketball program. Game time is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6 at Marshall Gymnasium in Midway.
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