Bears shoot 55.7 percent from field, turn lights out on Lakers in NAIA Opening Round, 92-77
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shawnee State (21-9, 13-4) | 39 | 53 | 92 |
|
Roosevelt (IL) (25-5, 18-2) | 34 | 43 | 77 |
It's always said that when postseason basketball begins, one can throw records and seeds right out the window.
The No. 13-seeded Shawnee State men's basketball program proved that in a big way Friday evening -- controlling the tempo of an NAIA Opening Round matchup against No. 4-seeded Roosevelt (Ill.) and answering every Laker run with a Bear flurry.
As a result, the Bears effectively turned the lights out on the Lakers' national championship hopes with a 92-77 victory Friday evening at the Madonna University Performing Arts, Athletics and Activities Center to advance to Saturday's Round of 32 matchup, which will be against Madonna (Mich.) at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the same site.
Tale of the Tape
Shawnee State got terrific performances from all involved in Friday's victory, going 34-of-61 from the field en route to its 55.7 percent shooting clip. The Bears also went 9-of-20 (45 percent) from three-point range. SSU did this in large part due to outstanding ball movement, as the Bears tallied up 14 assists to just eight turnovers over the entirety of the contest.
Defensively, Shawnee State held Roosevelt, who finished the regular season as the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Regular Season Champions and with a No. 11 national ranking in the final NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, to 42.4 percent shooting and a 20.8 percent mark from three-point range. The Bears also won the rebounding battle by a plus-seven margin (34-27) on the glass.
Over the entirety of the contest, Roosevelt led just once, 48-47, with 14:19 to play in the game. Shawnee State responded with a 5-0 run over the following 57 seconds, however -- and never lost the lead again after that juncture.
Winning 'Ty'me
In the first half of action, Shawnee State junior guard Tyreke Johnson simply couldn't miss.
The Woodstock, Ga. native scored six of Shawnee State's first nine points over the first 4:56 of the contest and then went on another massive flurry, scoring six straight points in 41 seconds including a four-point play where Johnson knocked down a left wing three while being fouled to put SSU up 20-10 with 11:22 to play in the opening half after converting the free throw attempt.
His 11 points between those stretches of time -- and 15 points in all for the opening half -- forced Roosevelt to adjust defensively to accomodate the 6-6 slasher, who had his floater working in full effect.
Johnson ultimately finished with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting. He also went 3-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
Beard, Harris light Lakers up in second half
Having already enjoyed a strong first half with eight points, five rebounds and two assists, Shawnee State sophomore wing Chaze Harris was simply terrific in the second half.
Fueled perhaps by a rack attack where the 6-5 dynamo split two defenders and rose up for a punch to cap off a 7-2 first-half ending run that put Shawnee State ahead by a 39-34 margin at the break, Harris added in 14 points and four assists in the second half while going 7-of-8 from the field, including a highlight-reel layup finish between two defenders.
Harris ultimately finished with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, while turning the ball over just twice for a three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio to boot.
As for The Mayor, Tre Beard continued to showcase the best basketball of his career.
Despite having three points after the opening half of competition, Beard stayed ready and turned in arguably the best half of basketball of his career, going 6-of-9 from the field, 5-of-7 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line to finish with 26 points.
Three of those treys, which all came within the final 12 minutes, were critical.
When Roosevelt closed Shawnee State's margin to 60-57, 70-63 and 75-67, Beard hit three-point field goals immediately after to quell any momentum on the Lakers' side.
Beard effectively delivered the final knockout blow with 1:15 left, when the point guard, after receiving an outlet pass, contorted his body and finished through contact to put the Bears up by an 88-75 margin with 1:17 to go.
The 5-10 guard from Chillicothe finished with 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 6-of-8 mark from three-point range and a 6-of-6 mark from the free throw line.
Additional
Tony Webb, Jr. played perhaps his best basketball of the season, putting together a fantastic statline in 11 minutes with seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block, while J.R. Lumsden, who played big second half minutes defensively, finished off the win with a punctuating one-handed throwdown with 1:09 to play as part of his five points.
Keith Germain enjoyed an efficient game off of the bench with eight points and three rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting while John Dawson, AJ Belton, Damon Charles and Elkin Ramirez all played big minutes in the Bears' 15-point triumph.
With the win, Michael Hunter became the first first-year head coach in program history to not only coach a Shawnee State men's basketball led team in an NAIA Tournament contest in his first season, but also became the first first-year head coach in program history to win his first appearance in a national tournament affair as a result. The Bears (21-9) will take on Madonna (26-6) Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Round of 32 at the PAAC in Livonia, Mich., with the winner advancing to the Round of 16 and the NAIA National Tournament's final site in Kansas City, Mo. next week.
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