(RV) SSU WBB uses White Out to cool No. 8 Rio Grande, scores program victory No. 899 with 81-73 win over RedStorm

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Good defensive teams find ways to stay on a string together and pounce when opportunities present themselves.

The women's basketball program at Shawnee State, however, is better than a good defensive team.

Down by a 35-33 margin with 1:51 to play in the second quarter against No. 8-ranked Rio Grande, the Bears locked in.

A Laken Williams three-pointer gave Shawnee State the lead off of the third lead change of the contest, and back-to-back Miyoshi Ellis layups, along with back-to-back steals by Ellis and Jonilyah Chambers that led to transition baskets for each, allowed the Bears to go on a 9-1 run to end the opening half.

This push proved to be paramount -- and led to a game-changing 16-2 run over a span of 6:05 between the second and third quarters of play as part of a critical run that allowed Shawnee State to not only take the lead, but keep a multi-possession deficit for good throughout the remainder of a key River States Conference matchup as the Bears toppled the RedStorm, 81-73, at Waller Gymnasium Saturday evening in Portsmouth.

Game Summary

Both units proved to be more than up to the task in Saturday's rivalry, which showcased all pieces from sharpshooting to physical play and high IQ basketball from both squads at different points throughout the contest.

Shawnee State (9-3, 2-0 River States Conference) continued to showcase growth offensively in Saturday's eight-point win, going 31-of-67 from the field (46.3 percent) and shooting 4-of-12 from three-point range (33.3 percent) while going 15-of-21 from the foul line (71.4 percent). The Bears also posted 11 assists on the 31 makes garnered in Saturday's triumph, and showcased another evenly balanced output as a result with five players hitting double-figures in the victory.

Rio Grande (11-3, 1-1 River States Conference) shot an impressive 26-of-55 from the floor (47.3 percent), 5-of-10 from three-point range (50 percent) and 16-of-21 from the free throw line (76.2 percent), but Shawnee State countered Rio Grande's efficiency from a shooting standpoint by forcing 24 turnovers -- double the amount of assists that Rio Grande had as a team (12).

Ellis wills SSU with gritty performance down the stretch

A gamer as evidenced by her two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament appearances in her two seasons as a starting point guard for Union (N.J.) College, junior lead guard Miyoshi Ellis isn't afraid of the bright lights.

The electric 5-5 guard from Harlem, N.Y. scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line, but it was Ellis' pace of play and table-setting that changed the game.

In addition to scoring 10 of her 18 points in the second half, Ellis' five steals resulted in points on three out of those five swipes on the return trip down the floor.

The junior's biggest play, however, came in the final frame.

With Rio Grande cutting a 63-50 Shawnee State advantage in the final quarter down to a 68-62 margin with 4:56 left, the Bears had an opportunity to score as Cianna Gloster drove to the basket with an open lane, and put up a shot.

While Gloster didn't get the shot to fall, Ellis stayed with the play throughout, snuck into traffic, and with an explosive leap in the middle of the lane, tipped in a critical putback that put the Bears ahead by a 70-62 margin with 4:51 to go -- keeping the game at no less than a two-possession margin throughout as a result.

Gloster racks up another double-double

Over the past two seasons, Cianna Gloster has made Waller Gymnasium her personal playground -- and in Saturday's contest, Gloster continued her fantastic career with another strong outing.

Exploding for eight points and three rebounds on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting in the opening quarter alone, Gloster proceeded to take care of the glass in the second half, nabbing 11 rebounds and six points in the final 20 minutes of play while adding in two steals and a block to boot.

Gloster, who is averaging 12.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals per contest on 50.9 percent shooting for the 2024-25 season, posted her 27th career double-double in her 42nd contest at Shawnee State. The senior forward has posted 14.8 rebounds and nine points per contest while shooting exactly 50 percent from the field in her four career games against the RedStorm.

Steele keeps consistent play going

Continuing to grow with each passing game, sophomore forward Jariah Steele used her crafty finishing to put up timely baskets while filling the stat sheet in multiple areas in an efficient manner as well.

Steele, who scored her 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, posted five points and two rebounds in a opening quarter that saw Shawnee State lead 17-15 at the opening gun, then supplied six points on 3-of-3 shooting in a third frame where the Bears pushed their lead from the 42-36 margin that it was at the halftime break to a 61-48 edge at the end of the third frame of play.

The 5-9 native of Cincinnati, Ohio added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block while matching Ellis for the second-most minutes played in the group with 32 -- just behind Gloster's 34.

For the week, Steele averaged 11 points on 10-of-13 shooting (76.9 percent) and also posted 4.5 rebounds, two assists, 1.5 steals and a block in Shawnee State's wins over Bluefield (Va.) and Rio Grande.

Williams, Hawthorne provide massive scoring punch off of bench

A deciding factor in Saturday's contest was Shawnee State's bench play, who outscored Rio Grande's bench by a 33-19 margin. Freshman guard Laken Williams and junior forward Lauren Hawthorne were a big reason why -- as both players not only took shots within the flow of the offense, but attacked in an unrelenting manner.

Williams, who played all 10 minutes in the second quarter, was huge from start to finish as the Martin County (Ky.) High School graduate posted seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in the quarter, scoring on a three-pointer from the left wing and also scoring off of a steal that was finished with a layup. The skilled freshman guard posted 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor and a 2-of-2 mark from the free throw line.

Hawthorne, who averaged nine points and a steal on 85.7 percent shooting off of the bench in an average of 14 minutes per game in SSU's victories over Bluefield (Va.) and Rio Grande, ripped off 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the free throw line against the RedStorm. Hawthorne scored a team-high five fourth-quarter points to help seal the deal.

Additional

Every individual who played for Shawnee State Saturday evening gave big minutes -- as Jada Johnson posted seven points and three rebounds in 16 minutes of game action while Sanaya Gregory was big as a co-primary ballhandler alongside Ellis with five points, three assists and three steals.

Lexi Deaver hit a big second-half three-pointer in front of the Shawnee State bench while the aforementioned Jonilyah Chambers was an energy bug with her swipe and score with 25 seconds left to go in the opening half. Emily Maynard's scrappy play, which resulted in four rebounds, two steals and a block, rounded out the SSU output.

Shawnee State (9-3, 2-0 River States Conference) is scheduled to go for program win No. 900 Tuesday evening when the Bears take on Indiana-East at 7:30 p.m. at Lingle Court in Richmond, Ind.