SSU MBB goes on 37-15 spurt over 15-minute span; rallies to collect 76-68 victory over Webber International (Fla.)

BABSON PARK, Fla. -- Watching a team come together on a road trip can be a beautiful sight to see.

The men's basketball program at Shawnee State certainly showed flashes of that over the final 29:47 of a 40-minute bout against Webber International (Fla.), as the Bears, down 24-14 with 9:47 to play in the opening half, went on a 37-17 spurt over a 15-minute stretch, shot 48.2 percent from the field for the contest and put four players in double-figures in a impressive display that saw the Bears claim a 76-68 victory over the homestanding Warriors Tuesday evening in a nonconference matchup that was held at the Jessica Costanzo Court at the Sabbaugh Athletic Center in Babson Park, Fla.

The Rundown

Shawnee State's ball movement throughout the contest proved to be the difference in the eight-point triumph -- as the Bears posted 16 assists on their 27 made baskets Tuesday.

This, as a result, led to the Bears shooting 27-of-56 from the floor which included a strong 10-of-28 mark from three-point range in the win. SSU's tablesetting as a team allowed Tre Beard (22 points), Elkin Ramirez (17 points), Donovan Lovelace (14 points) and Ezra McKee (11 points) to all reach double-figures with each player shooting no worse than 46.1 percent from the field individually.

By contrast, Shawnee State turned the ball over just 11 times as a team -- with just three misfires coming in the second half as the Bears (4-6) closed out the Warriors (3-8) in efficient fashion.

Electric Elkin

Needing an early jolt from somebody with Webber going 6-of-8 from three-point range en route to taking a 22-10 advantage early, and maintaining a 26-14 lead to the 9:47 mark, senior guard Elkin Ramirez provided that needed spark.

Enjoying what was easily his best outing of the 2024-25 season to date, Ramirez blazed the nets by nabbing a team-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and a 3-of-6 mark from three-point range in the opening half of competition. Ramirez also added in a pair of assists and scored or assisted on eight of Shawnee State's 10 points during an early first half stretch to boot.

Ramirez ultimately finished the contest with 17 points, three assists and a steal on 6-of-13 shooting and a 4-of-11 mark from three-point range as the Indianapolis, Ind. native's effective shooting kept Webber's defense honest throughout.

Love-lacing them up

A 6-9 big who oozes potential, Donovan Lovelace continued to flash such qualities throughout the day in a solid 14-point, eight-rebound effort where the Dallas, Texas native was steady in both halves.

Lovelace ultimately produced eight points and four rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting in the opening half, then came up large on the defensive end for the Bears in the second half of competition, posting six points, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal as the sophomore used his size advantage and fluidity to wreak havoc.

McKee provides valuable minutes off bench

Helping finish off a critical stretch for Shawnee State, 6-7 junior wing Ezra McKee came up huge in his Shawnee State debut.

With the Bears trailing by a 33-31 deficit late in the opening half, McKee ripped off seven straight poins for the Bears to end the frame, scoring on a layup, knocking down a corner three from the left side and scoring again after stripping the basketball from Webber's Orlando Thomas en route to another layup.

McKee's seven-point output in an 87-second span allowed Shawnee State to take a 38-35 halftime lead -- and ultimately led to an 11-point, three-rebound, one-steal output for McKee on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor in just 17 minutes of game action. The Wooster High School graduate outscored Webber's entire bench on his own with the efficient showing as Webber only received eight bench points in the contest.

Tre is his name

Having already posted a respectable seven points on 3-of-6 shooting in 19 minutes of game action, senior guard Tre Beard was on another level throughout the second half.

An elite shooter in every facet, Beard went off for eight of Shawnee State's first 11 points in the second half to help the Bears take a 51-41 advantage, then added in a long three-pointer from the left wing in front of the Shawnee State bench with 1:35 to play to give the Bears a 71-61 cushion and provide the dagger that Webber couldn't come back from.

In another brilliant performance, Beard finished with a team-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists -- including a 15-point, three-rebound second half where the senior went 3-of-4 from the field -- all from three-point range -- and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line to boot.

For the season, Beard is averaging 19.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 48.3 percent shooting from the field, 48.5 percent from three-point range, and 92.3 percent from the free throw line.

Vazquez sets the table

A creative guard off of the bounce, 6-0 senior guard Marcos Vazquez arguably played the biggest role in Shawnee State obtaining its eight-point triumph.

Vazquez posted five points, but it was his eight assists and four steals that proved to be paramount -- as the junior from Cleveland collected five dimes and three swipes alone in the opening half en route to leading Shawnee State on the comeback trail. Those numbers were all accomplished without Vazquez turning the basketball over a single time in the contest.

For the season, Vazquez is now averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals on 43.4 percent shooting.

Additional

AJ Belton and Jesse Dixon combined for eight rebounds and seven points to aid the Bears, who bounced back in a big way Tuesday evening.

Shawnee State will be back in action Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. when the Bears take on Warner (5-6) in a contest that will be held at the Turner Athletic Center in Lake Wales, Fla.