SSU MBB gears up for go-or-go-home time: NAIA Opening Round matchup against Roosevelt (Ill.) awaits
To the victor go the spoils.
That old adage never rings more true in sports than postseason play -- especially in a national tournament.
The No. 13-seeded Shawnee State men's basketball program will look to make another Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) unit suffer a setback, but in a win-or-go-home scenario this time as the Bears take on the No. 4-seeded Roosevelt Lakers' men's basketball program Friday evening at 8 p.m. at the Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena in Livonia, Mich.
It will be Shawnee State's second contest against a CCAC opponent this season. The only matchup by SSU this season against a CCAC opponent previously, however, was quite fruitful -- as the Bears rallied from a 72-67 deficit with less than 35 seconds remaining to claim a 73-72 triumph over Indiana-South Bend.
In that frantic finish, Shawnee State got a three from Elkin Ramirez as well as the eventual game-winning trey from Tre Beard with 1.7 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Bears past the Titans on the road. Indiana-South Bend defeated Roosevelt, who is based out of Chicago, Ill., to knock the Lakers out in the CCAC Semifinals.
Previewing Roosevelt (Ill.)
- Three players currently average in double-figures for Roosevelt (25-4):
- 5-10 sophomore guard Julio Montes II (15 points, 43.1 percent shooting and three-point shooting, 3.7 assists, one steal)
- 6-0 guard and grad student Maurice Commander (14.3 points, 43.9 percent shooting, 41 percent three-point shooting, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals)
- 6-3 junior guard Forte Prater (13.6 points, 46 percent shooting, 38.7 three-point shooting, four rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals)
- Additional key role players include:
- 6-7 forward and graduate student Cody Mitchell (7.7 points, 44.1 percent shooting, 37.5 percent three-point shooting)
- 6-6 junior forward Sangolay Njie (7.5 points, 47 percent shooting, 45.1 percent three-point shooting)
- 6-0 guard and graduate student David Swedura (six points, 48.1 percent shooting, 45.9 percent three-point shooting)
- Roosevelt finished the season ranked No. 11 in the final NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
Reviewing Shawnee State
- In Michael Hunter's first season, Shawnee State notched 20 victories. If Hunter can claim two victories in the NAIA Opening Round, and advance Shawnee State to the NAIA National Tournament's final site in Kansas City, Mo., he will tie the school record for most wins for a first-year head coach in program history, which was set by Geno Ford in the 2001-02 season when Ford went 22-10 overall.
- The Bears are led by four double figure scorers:
- 6-5 sophomore wing Chaze Harris (19.5 points, 4.6 assists, 2.5 steals, one block per game, 56.4 percent shooting)
- 6-5 senior forward Keith Germain (15.3 points, six rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 59.6 percent shooting)
- 6-6 junior guard Tyreke Johnson (14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, three assists, 1.1 steals, 45.6 percent shooting, 35.2 percent three-point shooting)
- 5-10 junior guard Tre Beard (12.1 points, one steal, 48.6 percent shooting, 48.8 percent three-point shooting)
- 6-1 senior guard John Dawson (39.8 percent three-point shooting) and 6-1 junior guard Elkin Ramirez (41 percent three-point shooting) aid a unit that is eighth across the entire NAIA in three-point field goal shooting percentage and are tied for 19th in field goal percentage.
- 6-5 junior forward J.R. Lumsden, 6-7 freshman forward Tony Webb, Jr. -- a Chicago native and Tinley Park High School grad -- and 6-5 junior forward AJ Belton add key depth in the low post. Webb, Jr. is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, Lumsden is shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and Belton has started in seven out of Shawnee State's last nine games. Lumsden and Belton have been critical components to the Bears' success on the defensive end of the floor.
Additional
The Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena is located at 14680 Newburgh Road, Livonia, Michigan 48150. Tickets to watch Friday's contest are $20 per person, while Saturday's outing will cost folks $15 per ticket.
A live stream will be offered at https://mucrusaders.com/watch/?Live=645&type=Live.
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