(RV) SSU WBB clinches second consecutive 20-win season with 71-58 victory over Brescia (Ky.)

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- From the 1992-93 season to the 2005-06 season, and then again from the 2007-08 unit to the 2019-20 unit, the Shawnee State women's basketball program won at least 20 games in each of those campaigns.

Saturday's victory over Brescia (Ky.) officially showcases that the Bears are, indeed, back on the prowl.

DeWayne Burroughs' women's basketball program put four players in double-figures and took as much as an 18-point lead (46-28) before withstanding a late Brescia rally to claim a 71-58 victory over the Bearcats -- clinching the Shawnee State women's basketball program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons since the end of the 2019-2020 run with its 13-point win at Waller Gymnasium Saturday evening.

The home win, which increased Shawnee State's overall record to 20-4 overall and 11-1 in River States Conference play, also gave the Bears sole possession of first place across the River States Conference in either the RSC East or RSC West Divisions -- as Rio Grande defeated Oakland City, 85-74, to give the RedStorm and the Mighty Oaks 10-2 RSC conference records each. Rio Grande sits 20-4 overall while Oakland City sits 15-8.

Currently, Shawnee State holds the tiebreaker over Rio Grande with its head-to-head victory over the RedStorm (81-73). The Bears lost to Oakland City, 76-64, in what was the only conference loss this season for SSU, but the Bears now hold a one-game lead over the Mighty Oaks and do not face Oakland City again over the remainder of the regular season -- meaning that SSU controls its own destiny in terms of claiming one of the conference's two automatic bids into the NAIA National Tournament.

Game Summary

Shawnee State (20-4, 11-1 RSC) was able to pull out Saturday afternoon's victory over Brescia (15-7, 7-5 RSC) by taking advantage of additional opportunities off of turnovers by the Bearcats. The Bears committed just nine turnovers while the Bearcats were forced into 22 miscues -- resulting in 24 points off of turnovers for Shawnee State to just five, total, for Brescia in the contest.

20 hits double-double counter again

Senior forward Cianna Gloster continued to dominate play throughout Saturday's contest -- as Gloster set the tone yet again in the physical battle by again being the key spark to Shawnee State's 13th win over its last 14 games.

Gloster enjoyed a terrific second half in particular -- as the senior posted 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals between the third and fourth quarters of play while going 6-of-9 from the field to help keep Brescia on the shoreline. Gloster finished the contest with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and a block on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and a 5-of-5 mark from the free throw line.

Gloster, who has tallied 887 points for her college career, ran her double-double streak to six consecutive games. The Michigan native now has 37 career double-doubles in 54 games at Shawnee State overall.

Ellis adds spark early

A talented guard who can blow by individuals at any moment, lead guard Miyoshi Ellis enjoyed another productive outing en route to a 13-point, six-steal, four-assist, three-rebound performance.

Ellis posted eight points, three steals and an assist in the opening quarter on 4-of-5 shooting alone -- helping Shawnee State take a 19-12 first-quarter advantage as Ellis' speed and creative attacking off of the bounce proved to be a difficult adjustment for Brescia to make out of the gate.

Ellis is now averaging 6.6 points, three assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 24 games with the Bears.

Additional

Alone with Gloster and Ellis, Sanaya Gregory and Jariah Steele each joined the previously mentioned duo in double-figures, nabbing 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Gregory, who went 5-of-6 from the free throw line, also added three assist to just one turnover over the course of the game while Steele posted 10 points, four rebounds and four steals -- posting three steals in the first quarter and four points each in the second and fourth quarters to help supply consistent production from her forward spot.

Jada Johnson (six points, four rebounds, two steals), Lauren Hawthorne (five points, two rebounds), Jonilyah Chambers (four points), Emily Maynard (three points, two rebounds, two steals) and Lexi Deaver (two points, steal) rounded out the scoring.

Shawnee State now gears up for a pivotal River States Conference contest against Rio Grande -- with both teams sitting at 20-4 overall. The Bears can take full command of the driver's seat with a win over the RedStorm in Tuesday evening's 7:30 p.m. tip.

RSC East Division
Shawnee State	11-1	20-4
Rio Grande	10-2	20-4
Midway	8-4	14-10
IU East	6-6	10-14
Alice Lloyd	4-8	9-14
WVU Tech	1-11	2-21
RSC West Division
Oakland City	10-2	15-8
Brescia	7-5	15-7
IU Southeast	6-6	12-10
St. Mary-of-the-Woods	5-7	13-11
IU Kokomo	4-8	8-15
IU Columbus	0-12	2-19

For more information, visit Shawnee State Athletics at the below social media handles.