Shawnee State (16-4, 6-2) was able to come out on top against longtime rival, University of Rio Grande (13-6, 4-4), 89-57. The win marked the Bears 43rd win in 46 meetings all-time against the Red Storm and it was their 12th straight victory in the rivalry. The last time Shawnee State lost to Rio Grande was on February 15, 2005 losing 78-81.
Shawnee State did not waste any time against Rio Grande as they jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The quick start was capped off by eight points from Abby Ballman (Cincinnati, OH) and a couple of jumpers and a block from Schera Sampson (Round Rock, TX). The Bears continued to extend their lead with tight defense, allowing the Red Storm to shot only 24 percent from the field and forcing 10 turnovers.
Up 13, Shawnee State's Catrice Mitchell (Columbus, OH) blocked a shot attempt that was rebounded by Kassidy Hardgrove (Minerva, OH). Mitchell, who came off the bench, scored 12 points and had three blocks in the half. The very next possession down the floor, the two connected as Hardgrove threw a no-look pass underneath the basket for an easy lay-in by Mitchell.
Later in the half, Ballman hit a 3-pointer at the 3:53 mark to push the Bears lead to 22, the largest lead in the half. Ballman went 2-4 from beyond the arc and had 11 total points in the half. Shawnee State shot 50 percent in the first half and outscored Rio Grande 28-6 in the paint. The Bears went into halftime up 43-22.
Shawnee State did not let up in the second half as Alannah Sheets hit a 3-pointer at the 18:42 mark to make the score 50-25. A steal on the next possession for Ballman and a quick pass for a reverse layup from Sheets quickly gave the Bears a 58-34 lead.
Mitchell, who had a good first half did not back down. Mitchell pulled down an offensive rebound from a missed 3-pointer from Sheets and laid it in for two plus the foul. However, Mitchell went on to miss the free-throw attempt only to have Erin Dailey (Chillicothe, OH) come in and grab the loose ball and lay it in for two more points.
After the teams exchanged defensive stops, a corner three ball from Kayla Wiley (New Boston, OH) capped off a 9-0 from Shawnee State. The Red Storm was unable to make a serious comeback as the closest they got was 29 points.
Four players for Shawnee State scored in double figures. Ballman finished with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes of action. Ballman shot 3-6 from beyond the arc and 5-9 total field goals. Sampson scored 12 points and added nine rebounds in 19 minutes of work. Alex Pohl chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Mitchell, who came off the bench scored a game-high 18 points, four rebounds and three blocks and was named the Bears MVP of the game.
Shardae M-Fountain was named Rio Grande's MVP of the game as she finished with a team-high 13 points.
For the game, Shawnee State shot 52 percent from the field while they held Rio Grande to just 20-66 from the field. The Bears made 6-18 from beyond the arc and the Red Storm made only 16 percent from downtown. Shawnee State also won the contest at the free-throw line, making 19-25 compared to 14-19 from Rio.
The Bears will travel to Campbellsville, KY against the 17th ranked Campbellsville University on January 26th at 6:00 PM. Shawnee State won earlier in the year 62-60 in what was a tight contest.
