Gritty comeback by SSU MBB falls shy in scant 58-55 loss to WV Tech; Beard posts 29

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- The men's basketball program at Shawnee State got 29 points from Tre Beard, an 18-point, eight-rebound outing from Donovan Lovelace and received a huge effort from a defense that only gave up 27 points in the second half, but weren't able to collect a victory in Waller Gymnasium Saturday afternoon as SSU fell to West Virginia Tech, 58-55.

Grudge match comes down to wire

Shawnee State (3-6, 0-1 RSC) and West Virginia Tech (7-2, 1-0 RSC) each traded punches -- especially during the second half -- of the River States Conference opener for both squads. The Bears shot 41.5 percent from the field (17-of-41) compared to WV Tech's 40 percent (20-of-50) mark, with both teams also sitting nearly even in rebounds (27-24 advantage to West Virginia Tech) and assists (10-8 in favor of WV Tech).

SSU did shoot a stout 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) from the free throw line compared to West Virginia Tech's 12-of-18 mark (66.9 percent), but 18 turnovers proved to be costly for Shawnee State in the setback.

Trailing by a 31-22 margin at halftime and by as many as 12 (34-22) with 18:57 to play, the Bears rallied in a big way by going on a 24-11 push that saw Beard and Lovelace go off for 21 points combined during the run, which lasted 11:03. The run, which was punctuated by back-to-back possessions where Beard spotted up to can a huge three, then made a nifty floater through contact, allowed Shawnee State to take a brief 46-45 advantage with 7:54 to go in the contest.

While West Virginia Tech answered back with five straight points to counter the excellent play of Beard and Lovelace and take a 50-46 lead of its own, SSU responded with a 6-1 run to take a 52-51 lead after a pull up jumper by Beard dropped with 3:38 to go, giving Michael Hunter's group the lead once again.

However, an and-one just eight seconds later by Braden Chapman followed, and Chapman added in two more free throws to give WV Tech a 56-52 advantage with 1:47 left. Elkin Ramirez's three closed the deficit to just 56-55 with 1:29 to go, and the SSU defense held WV Tech without a bucket during this timeframe as SSU stayed within a possession with the visiting Golden Bears only adding in a free throw during that stretch. But on the final possession, a potential game-tying layup by the Bears didn't fall -- allowing West Virginia Tech to hold onto the win.

Beard, Lovelace continue producing despite heavy minutes

Despite playing all 40 minutes of Saturday's contest, Tre Beard and Donovan Lovelace were efficient throughout for Shawnee State in doing so.

Beard, who posted 13 points in the opening half alone on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and a 3-of-6 mark from three-point range, was terrific in the opening half on all fronts. The senior then willed SSU back into the fight for good with a 16-point outing on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor while going 5-of-6 from the free throw line and adding in two assists and two steals to boot.

By nabbing a game-high 29 points, Beard eclipsed 850 markers for his career at Shawnee State. The multi-year letterwinner and two-year starter now has 851 points -- just 149 shy of 1,000 for the Bears.

Lovelace, meanwhile, was a force on the block. Doing work from both the face up and post up positions, Lovelace tallied seven points, five rebounds and two blocks in the opening half before ripping off 11 points and three rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and a 3-of-3 mark from the free throw line to boot.

The 6-9 sophomore ultimately finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in Saturday's triumph -- and combined with Beard to go 14-of-29 from the field and 15-of-17 from the free throw line as the duo supplied 47 points and 11 rebounds between them.

Additional

In the absence of Marcos Vazquez, Feisal Crumby supplied big minutes with his on-ball defense by posting five rebounds while AJ Belton collected five points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal to boot in Saturday's contest.

Shawnee State will have an eight-day layoff before returning to action Sunday, Dec. 15 for an exhibition against NCAA Division I Southern Indiana. Tip off will commence at 2 p.m. in Evansville, Ind.