(RV) SSU WBB never trails, shoots 51.1 percent from field to advance to River States Conf. Championship Game with 70-53 win over Brescia (Ky.)

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- There are few feelings better in sport than imposing one's will in a crucial contest.

The women's basketball program at Shawnee State did just that in a River States Conference Semifinal matchup against the Brescia (Ky.) women's basketball program -- as the Bears shot 51.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range and held the Brescia Bearcats' women's basketball program to 26.4 percent shooting from the floor defensively to lead from start to finish in a 70-53 blitz of Brescia to advance to the River States Conference Championship Game Tuesday evening at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.

Game Summary

Shawnee State (26-4) faced little trouble against Brescia (18-10) from the outset of Saturday's contest, jumping out to a 10-0 lead within the contest's first 2:20 after connecting on three out of its first four shot attempts of the game and connecting on its opening pair of free throws -- while forcing Brescia to go 0-for-1 from the field with three turnovers during that same span of time.

From there on in, the Bears never led by less than six points the rest of the way -- as a stout defensive effort that held Brescia to 33.3 percent shooting or worse in every quarter, coupled with an offense that posted 12 assists on 24 made baskets and had nine different players reach the scoring column -- allowed Shawnee State to maintain a double-digit advantage throughout much of the 40-minute affair.

Brescia's Caroline Lucas, the Bearcats' leading scorer coming into Saturday's contest and a stout player who has performed above expectations throughout the year, finished with 22 points in the contest, but finished with no assists and four turnovers -- while no other Bearcat tallied more than six points in the contest as Shawnee State's discipline defensively was evident from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

The contest marked the 21st double-digit victory for Shawnee State in the 30-game 2024-25 season to date.

Boogie balls out

Continuing to produce at a high efficiency from start to finish, Shawnee State senior forward Cianna Gloster was nothing short of outstanding once again.

A 15.3-point, 11.5-rebound producing energy bug, Gloster spent the opening quarter wreaking havoc on the glass before exploding for 18 points, four rebounds and two steals between the second and third stanzas to help the Bears extend its lead to as much as 22 points (60-38) in the contest.

Gloster, who finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and two steals while going 8-of-12 from the field, is at 991 career points and 916 career rebounds collegiately. Her 346 total rebounds this season sits just 27 away from breaking her own all-time single-season program mark of 373 set just last season.

Ellis adds strong floor game

Adding in a continued high level of play in the backcourt, Shawnee State lead guard Miyoshi Ellis was terrific once again as the junior guard kept Brescia on its heels with her consistent attacking and change of pace.

Ellis, who poured in 15 points and a game-high six assists to go along with three rebounds, shot 5-of-8 from the field, went a spotless 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, and was clutch in the second half to boot, posting nine points and three assists on 3-of-4 shooting and a 3-of-3 mark from the line in the third and fourth quarters to control the tempo throughout.

Ellis has led Shawnee State to a 19-1 overall record in her 20 starts -- and is averaging 11.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals over those 20 contests since making her first start on New Year's Day against Bluefield (Va.).

Sanaya smooth

A consistent producer throughout the 2024-25 season, Sanaya Gregory's game is not full of flash or flare, but one of a methodical precision.

The graduate student showcased another steady effort Saturday afternoon, as Gregory, in 27 minutes of game action, posted 11 points and three steals on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and a 2-of-2 mark from the free throw line. Gregory scored each of her 11 points in the opening half -- and seven in the first quarter -- to help Shawnee State take a 40-27 advantage at the halftime break.

For the season, Gregory is averaging 7.9 points, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals as the East Lansing, Mich. native continues to produce on multiple fronts in much the same way as Ellis has.

Additional

Jada Johnson, who posted seven points and two rebounds on 2-of-3 shooting from the floor and a 2-of-2 mark from the charity stripe in 10 minutes of play, came up large off of the bench while Emily Maynard knocked down a pair of threes en route to six points on 2-of-5 shooting from three-point range in the contest.

Jonilyah Chambers (four points, two assists) also produced in a strong manner off of the bench throughout, while Lexi Deaver put in a strong second quarter of play, going 3-of-4 from the charity stripe as Chambers and Deaver provided productive minutes in spelling Gregory and Ellis off of the bench.

Jariah Steele (seven points, three rebounds, steal) produced in multiple facets while Lauren Hawthorne (17 minutes of game action) and Jaden Tucker (two points) rounded out the contributing hands in Saturday's 17-point win.

Shawnee State will host Tuesday evening's River States Conference Championship Game as the Bears will face Rio Grande (25-5) for the third time in the 2024-25 season -- with this affair to be played at Waller Gymnasium on the Shawnee State University campus in Portsmouth.