SSU men withstand Rio rally, pull away for 62-50 victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shawnee State (16-6, 10-2) | 30 | 32 | 62 |
|
Rio Grande (10-12, 5-7) | 22 | 28 | 50 |
Much more often than not, rivalry contests are full of fire and passion.
The men’s basketball program at Shawnee State, however, weathered the storm throughout a 40-minute contest Saturday afternoon against the Rio Grande RedStorm, shooting 54.3 percent from the field and outrebounding Rio Grande by a plus-eight margin (34-26) in a 62-50 victory at Newt Oliver Arena in Rio Grande.
Defensively, Shawnee State held Rio Grande to a 19-of-55 mark from the field (34.5 percent) and the RedStorm, in general, converted just three of their 12 attempts (25 percent) from three-point range. No Rio Grande player scored more than 11 points in the setback and Michael Hunter’s group held each of Rio Grande’s double-figure scorers to at least seven points or more below their season averages in points per game.
Harris keeps rolling
Continuing to thrive both on and off of the ball, Shawnee State sophomore Chaze Harris was strong once again.
Harris ultimately dropped in 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals the opening half of competition before adding in 11 points and two steals in the final 20-minute stanza.
Harris ultimately finished with 21 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a game-high 37 minutes of playing time. His steal total also stood alone as a game-high while Harris matched Rio Grande guard Trey Robertson for the game-high in assists.
Johnson jets out to fast start
In the opening half of play, Tyreke Johnson proved to be terrific for the Bears as the junior combo guard from Woodstock, Ga. scored 13 of his 17 points in the opening half of competition while grabbing six of his eight boards in the same stanza. Johnson scored his 17 points on just eight official shot attempts in the game.
With Shawnee State trailing Rio Grande by a 15-12 margin midway through the opening half of play, the junior knocked down two consecutive three-point attempts and scored 11 of Shawnee State's points in a pivotal 18-7 first half ending run that proved to be the difference in the contest’s result.
Germain provides finishing touches
Needing a third hand to pour in points late after a 42-33 second half Shawnee State lead turned into a 43-42 deficit, SSU senior forward Keith Germain delivered in a big way during the second half of competition.
Germain, in fact, ultimately scored nine of his 11 points in the second half. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. product ripped off five points during a 13-2 SSU run to seal the victory -- and also posted four rebounds to boot and went 5-of-7 from the field for the contest in the 12-point triumph.
Additional
AJ Belton played 21 gritty minutes for the Bears – matching Johnson with a team-high eight rebounds – while J.R. Lumsden led the bench production by scoring all six of his tallies in the second half of play.
Shawnee State (16-6, 10-2 RSC) will get two days of rest before making the trek southward to face Alice Lloyd (Ky.) in Pippa Passes. The River States Conference road contest is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
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