SSU shoots 60.3 percent from field; Harris leads five dub-fig scorers with 26 pts, 9 rebs in 91-78 victory over IU-East
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indiana East (6-11, 2-4) | 40 | 38 | 78 |
|
Shawnee State (12-5, 7-1) | 42 | 49 | 91 |
The Shawnee State men's basketball program is one of the most efficient offensive units in the entire country. Numbers that include a 51 percent shooting mark from the field and a 39.6 percent three-point mark, for the season, fully indicates that very fact.
However, seeing the smooth offensive attack play out in front of one's own very eyes is certainly a treat for anybody that comes to watch Michael Hunter's, Chandler Fointno's and Brent Gaither's attack in person.
Buoyed by four double-figure scores and four additional players averaging 4.8 points per contest coming into Tuesday evening's River States Conference matchup against Indiana-East, SSU's offense has certainly been a thing of beauty for those who have seen it in person.
On Tuesday evening against River States Conference foe Indiana-East, however, the Shawnee State men's basketball accomplished a feat that hadn't been done since the national championship-winning campaign of 2020-21.
Fueled by a strong line that saw the Bears notch 16 assists on 38 made baskets, Shawnee State posted a 38-of-63 (60.3 percent) shooting mark from the field and a 6-of-12 mark from three-point range (50 percent) in its 91-78 victory over Indiana-East Tuesday evening at Waller Gymnasium, becoming the first team inside the program since the 2020-21 NAIA National Championship-winning unit to post two games of 60 percent or better shooting over a three-game stretch with at least a 50 percent or better shooting percentage in three consecutive contests.
Led by another fantastic effort from the play of standout 6-5 wing Chaze Harris, who dropped in 26 points, nine rebounds, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks, Shawnee State led over the contest's final 14:26 -- breaking open a tight one-possession, back-and-forth game into a runaway double-digit victory.
Harris, however, was just one of five double-digit scorers for the Bears, who had nine different players hit the scoreboard and collected a plus-nine rebounding advantage (32-23) on the glass in the 13-point triumph. SSU also defended well at the rim, posting six blocks to Indiana-East's one, and held the proficient Redwolves offense to just 40.6 percent shooting from the field and 29.2 percent shooting from three-point range -- marks that finished nine and 10 percent below IU-East's average shooting percentages per game coming into Tuesday evening's contest.
It's Shawnee State's fifth straight victory and the Bears' eighth win over the last nine contests.
Deuce goes wild
Playing in front of a larger crowd than what the sophomore did in his home opener against Simmons (Ky.) with students back on campus following the holiday break, Cleveland native Chaze Harris spent much of the game showing his full arsenal of skills.
Posting 13 points in both halves, Harris did so in an efficient manner once again as Harris made six shots each and made at least two-thirds of his shot attempts in both 20-minute stanzas to head up Shawnee State's offensive attack. His biggest outburst during that time was over a five-minute, 34-second span to begin the second half of play -- where the 6-5 talent scored or assisted on 12 consecutive Shawnee State points, including a layup to end his early second-half onslaught that gave the Bears the lead for good at a 54-53 mark with 14:26 to play.
For the season, Harris is averaging 24.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting a ridiculous 63.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range through seven games. He's scored 20 or more points in five of those seven appearances.
Johnson keeps filling up the box
Shawnee State junior guard Tyreke Johnson had another good outing himself -- and from the contest's outset, was on the attack early and often.
The 6-6 guard from Woodstock, Ga. ultimately scored six of Shawnee State's first 10 points to start the game and scored or assisted on 10 of the Bears' first 18 points to get off to a strong start, ultimately notching eight points and three assists while going 4-of-5 from the floor in the opening half. Johnson then posted a balanced line of six points, five rebounds and two assists in the second half of competition as the floor opened up for others to eat.
Johnson, who also added two steals in the game, now averages 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 48.6 percent shooting for the season.
Balanced effort dotted across the roster
Efficiency and balance was the story up and down the roster -- as Shawnee State's excellent team showing was evident in individual production from top to bottom.
Keith Germain, who had a strong first half from a finishing standpoint with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, finished with 10 points on a 5-of-8 mark from the field -- his last bucket coming off of a filthy two-handed punch off of a pass from Harris to put the exclamation point on the victory.
Tre Beard, who came off of the bench in Tuesday's contest, finished with 11 points -- including nine in the second half of competition. Beard shot 4-of-6 from the field and played in a team-high 35 minutes to boot. J.R. Lumsden -- a guy who brings a versatile look anytime the junior takes to the floor -- finished with 11 points himself, also on 4-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes off of the pine.
Lastly, John Dawson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point range, finished with six points and showcased steady play all game long while AJ Belton and Damon Charles, who have seen increased roles in recent games, also finished with six points each themselves as their hustle and finishing ability around the basket led to the pair combining to go 4-of-6 from the floor while also adding in three rebounds and two blocks combined off of the bench. Charles got his third start in a row in the 13-point Shawnee State victory.
Additional
The Bears get a six-day layoff before returning to action Monday evening with a return trip to play Wilberforce after defeating the Bulldogs 99-94 earlier in the year. Game time is set for 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22.
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