On the last day of the SSU Tournament, seventh-ranked Shawnee State (10-2, 4-0) defeated 11th ranked Olivet Nazarene (10-2) 93-77 in a non-conference affair at the Frank and Janis Waller Gymnasium. With the victory, Coach Robin Hagen-Smith recorded 600th career victory.
"I have a lot of good people that surrounded me, everyone has had a big part of this accomplishment," states Hagen-Smith.
Hagen-Smith is only the fourth coach in NAIA history to achieve the career mark. Hagen-Smith has led the Bears to 10 conference championships, 18 national tournaments, 12 sweet sixteen's, two elite eight's, two Fab Four appearances, one National Runner-up and a National Championship in 1999.
"Robin is a leader among her peers, a role model for her students and a teacher to us all. She inspires those around her to work hard, give their best shot, stay positive, never give up and meet life's challenges head-on because that's the way she lives every aspect of her life," President Dr. Rita Rice Morris said.
Hagen-Smith is in her 29th year at Shawnee State at the helm of the Bears' program. During her tenure she has produced an overall record of 675 win against 200 losses.
"This is a fantastic accomplishment for Robin and speaks volumes for the type of person and coach that she is." said SSU Athletic Director Jeff Hamilton. "I have had the pleasure to work with her for over 10 years and this is a hard earned and well deserved accolade."
The Bears opened the first half with a 12-5 run as a fast pace and aggressive style of play was intact from the start of the game. Despite a full-court press, Shawnee State was able to hold the lead until the 8:37 mark. A three-pointer from Miranda Geever (Olivet Nazarene) gave the Tigers a 24-23 lead. The Bears and Olivet Nazarene continued to battle on the defensive side of the ball as the Tigers turned it over 16 times and Shawnee State turned the ball over 21 times in the first half.
However, Olivet Nazarene went on a 14-2 run to open up a 12 point lead with 3:28 left in the half. The Tigers only shot 40 percent from the field but made 8-22 three-pointers. Shawnee State was able to climb within eight before halftime thanks to a lay-up from freshman Kassidy Hardgrove (Minerva, OH) and a jumper from Tabby McKinney (Canton, OH). The Bears did shot 47 percent from the field in the half but turned the ball over 21 times. Shawnee State headed into halftime down 49-41.
In the second half, the Bears clawed their way back into the ball game forcing Olivet Nazarene to three turnovers and eight missed three-point attempts in the first six minutes of the half. The missed opportunities for the Tigers gave Shawnee State the opportunity to capitalize and that's exactly what they did. A basket from Catrice Mitchell with 12:28 in the second half gave the Bears their first lead since the 8:45 mark in the first half.
With the score tied 69 a piece, a jumper from Alex Pohl (Loveland, OH) gave Shawnee State a 71-69 lead. The basket jump-started a 14-2 run in a span of 3:40 to give the Bears their largest lead in the game at 13. The run was helped from Abby Ballman (Cincinnati, OH), McKinney, Alannah Sheets (Leon, WV) and Pohl.
"Abby Ballman is our Diana Taurasi," Hagen-Smith said.
The run helped build a comfortable lead as flyers and signs of "600 wins" and "congratulations coach" was beginning to wave in the stands. Once the final buzzer sounded, Coach Hagen-Smith officially became the fourth coach in NAIA history to win at least 600 career victories.
"We beat a big time ball club today and the difference in the second half was our defense," Hagen-Smith said.
The team saw five players reach double figures in scoring. McKinney, scored 15 points, grabbed 11 boards and added four assists. Sheets scored 16 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists as well. Mitchell, followed her career high mark last night of 21 points with a 19 point, seven rebound and two blocks a day later and Pohl continued her strong weekend with 17 points and a career high 15 rebounds.
"Alex was phenomenal, her rebounding was terrific," Hagen-Smith said.
Freshman, Kassidy Hardgrove, may have played her best game so far as a Bear. She scored a career high 11 points and dished out a career high, four assists.
"Kassidy is so quick and that's what you got to have in the 1-3-1," Hagen-Smith said.
For Shawnee State as a team they shot 50 percent while Olivet Nazarene shot 28-81. The Tigers also shot a whopping 48 three-pointers making 12 of them while the Bears made 6-17 from beyond the arc. At the free-throw line, Shawnee State shot 62 percent while the Tigers shot 9-15.
Shawnee State will be heading south to play in the Daytona Beach Classic on Dec. 19 to take on Oklahoma Christian University at 2:00 p.m. The Bears will follow the next day and play Peru State College at 2:00 p.m. The next home game for Shawnee State will be on January 4, 2012.
