SSU MBB jumps out to 23-8 lead on Senior Day; holds off IU-East rally to claim ninth win in 11 games with 78-74 triumph

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Over the past month, the men's basketball program at Shawnee State has simply found ways to make winning plays in the clutch.

The Bears did just that again in a critical River States Conference matchup Saturday afternoon against Indiana-East -- as Shawnee State held off a second-half charge by the Red Wolves, who rallied from a 55-43 second-half deficit to close within three points on four separate occasions but got no closer as the Bears were able to tighten the RSC East Division race even further with a 78-74 victory Saturday afternoon at Waller Gymnasium, sending Tre Beard, AJ Belton, Feisal Crumby III, Elkin Ramirez and Cory Gardner out right in the final home game, regular season-wise, for the quintet.

Game Summary

While Shawnee State (14-12, 9-5 River States Conference) was held under its shooting averages by Indiana-East (15-11, 9-5 River States Conference), shooting 25-of-55 from the field (45.5 percent) and 5-of-20 from three-point range (25 percent), and were outrebounded by eight (31-23) by Indiana-East -- who shot 49 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point land -- the Bears were terrific in terms of valuing the basketball.

In fact, Shawnee State committed just five turnovers all game -- the lowest amount of turnovers by SSU in any game during the 2024-25 season -- while turning 16 Indiana-East turnovers into 20 points.

As a result, the Bears quadrupled the amount of points off of turnovers advantage, owning a 20-5 edge in that category, and got 36 bench points in the game while the Red Wolves posted just 19.

Six players scored at least nine or more points for Shawnee State, who posted 11 assists on its 25 made baskets and posted a team assist-to-turnover ratio that was greater than two-to-one -- an elite statline.

Numbers such as the above have been critical to the Bears' success as of late. Of the games that have been decided by 7 points or less since Jan. 12, Shawnee State is 6-1 in those contests with the Bears' only loss during that time in a game decided by that margin or less being a seven-point margin (77-70) to River States Conference West Division Champions Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. The Bears are victors of four straight and have won nine out of their last 11 games.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Shawnee State now sits in a three-way battle for second place in the RSC East Division, as the Bears, IU-East, and Alice Lloyd (Ky.) -- who lost to Midway (Ky.) today -- all sit at 9-5 overall in River States Conference action. Rio Grande, the RSC East Division leader with a week left in the regular season, is just one game ahead of all three teams at 10-4 overall in RSC play heading into the final week of action.

Beard keeps moving up ladder

With a team-high 18 points Saturday, Shawnee State's Tre Beard not only delivered a four-point victory with another efficient performance, but moved to 1,187 points for his Shawnee State career -- and now sits just 14 points away from reaching the top-10, all time, in program history in career points.

Beard, who posted six points and four rebounds in a balanced opening half of scoring where seven different individuals scored for Shawnee State in the opening half, notched 12 points in the second half while going 3-of-6 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the second half of play. The graduate student scored or assisted on SSU's first four points to begin the second stanza and followed that up by notching 10 of Shawnee State's 20 points over a span of 11:49 -- including two free throws with 22 seconds left that helped seal the victory.

Seniors/grad students make early statement

With the contest serving as Senior Day, second-year head coach Michael Hunter rewarded each of the honorees on the day -- Tre Beard, AJ Belton, Feisal Crumby III, Elkin Ramirez and Cory Gardner with a start. They proceeded to reward Hunter immensely within the first four minutes of the contest -- as Shawnee State jumped out to a 10-0 run over the game's first 3:28 of action in essentially jumping all over Indiana-East.

Belton, in particular, was a key cog -- as the 6-5 senior forward's activity inside allowed Belton to score six points within the game's first four minutes. Crumby III, who has appeared and started in the most games in a season in his career -- took advantage of his opportunity, knocking down an open three-point field goal from the left wing to cap off the early 10-0 run.

A rundown of the senior class is below:

No. 3 – Tre Beard

A man who needs no introduction, Tre Beard will graduate from Shawnee State as not only the winningest player in program history, but as one of its best as well.

Over his five seasons at Shawnee State, Beard has led the Bears to a 101-51 overall record with three appearances at the NAIA National Tournament level, one conference championship and one national championship over the past four postseasons with a fifth yet to be played.

Individually, Beard now has 1,187 points at Shawnee State, which is 12th in program history, and sits at 231 made three-point field goals for his career, which is 30 away from tying the program's all-time record. His 92.3 free throw percentage this season is on pace to break an all-time program record. Beard is currently averaging 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals on 50.3 percent shooting from the field and a 47.2 percent mark from beyond the arc.

"This year has been a year of resilience," Beard said. "This year didn't start out great but we are sparking at the right time. I thank God everyday for allowing me to play with my brothers on the court and for having the coaching staff we have! I am beyond blessed. Thank you Shawnee State for an unbelievable five years!"

No. 7 – AJ Belton

A stronghold on the team who has provided Shawnee State with a great on-ball defensive presence, senior forward AJ Belton has helped Shawnee State go 34-22 over the past two seasons with his play as a forward who often draws the toughest defensive assignments and has consistently provided numbers on the offensive end as well.

In his two seasons at Shawnee State, Belton has appeared in 54 games and started in 25 of those contests. Belton, who is currently averaging 8.3 points and four rebounds on 56.2 percent shooting from the field, nabbed 10 points in the Bears' 78-74 victory Saturday.

"It's been a pleasure my two years playing here at Shawnee State," Belton said. "I'm thankful for my teammates and coaches from both years for keeping me with an uplifted spirit. I want to thank my mom and the rest of my family for the unconditional support and love throughout my four years playing college basketball."

Belton goes by a quote from Deion Sanders: "If you don't believe in yourself, how will someone else believe in you?"

No. 10 – Feisal Crumby III

A consistent contributor over the course of his four-year career at Shawnee State, Feisal Crumby III has helped SSU go 69-49 over his time at Shawnee State. Crumby has appeared in 53 games over his time at SSU, making a career-high 18 appearances with five starts this season.

Crumby posted five points and four rebounds in Saturday's win, playing 19 minutes.

"It's an honor and a blessing to play for Shawnee State," Crumby said. "I wouldn't have wanted to play for any other team or have any other teammates and coaches by my side. They have all pushed me and wanted me to be great and I can't thank them enough for it."

No. 13 – Elkin Ramirez

A standout shooter with a feathery touch, senior wing Elkin Ramirez leaves the program after also helping Shawnee State go 34-22 alongside fellow Indianapolis, Ind. native AJ Belton over the last two seasons.

Ramirez, who has appeared in 55 games with 10 starts over his Shawnee State career, shot 44.1 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range as a junior, helping SSU make the NAIA National Tournament and claim a victory over Roosevelt (Ill.) in the NAIA Opening Round.

"It was an honor to play at Shawnee State, a program known for its excellence," Ramirez said. "It was an honor to have teammates who made coming to practice and games everyday fun. I want to thank the coaches for bringing me here and pushing me to become a better person and player."

No. 14 – Cory Gardner

A guard who has made a sizeable impact in his short time at Shawnee State, grad student Cory Gardner has been a vital piece toward winning.

In his 12 games at Shawnee State, Gardner has stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals on a 58 percent mark from the field and a 46.7 percent showing from three-point range. SSU has gone 8-3 since Gardner officially appeared in his first game with the Bears on Jan. 8.

Quoting Psalm 9, Verse 1 of The Bible, which says "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds," Gardner said that this quote is relevant everyday "because he thanks the Lord for allowing him to suit up and play the game that he loves while going to war every game with such selfless teammates."

"I also thank the coaches because they saved me and welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to be myself," Gardner said. "That's something that I will never forget."

Additional

Along with the above quintet, Donovan Lovelace (14 points, three rebounds, two assists, steal) and Ezra McKee (10 points, four rebounds, three steals, 2.2 assists, one block) filled the stat sheet as the pair continue to show their promise as versatile forwards, while Marcos Vazquez finished with a team-high nine points in the first half to go along with two assists and two rebounds to boot. Preston Saia added in the final three points for the Bears.

Shawnee State will look to continue its push to clinch at least one -- or more -- home games in the 2025 River States Conference Tournament, as the Bears will face Midway (9-14, 6-8 River States Conference) Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. in a River States Conference matchup that will be held at Marshall Gymnasium in Midway, Ky.