Portsmouth, Ohio – Shawnee State men's basketball got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon, defeating Lourdes (Ohio) 66-46 on day two of the Cougar Homecoming Classic, hosted by Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
The Bears were down early in the second half to Lourdes, falling behind as much as eight, 24-16, with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. However, a 9-0 Bear run would put them up 25-24 at halftime, led by Jayllen Carter (JR/Portsmouth, Ohio)'s five points in that run.
From there, Shawnee State would continue the run on the other side of halftime, finishing on a 26-0 run before Lourdes scored again. The Bears would hold the Gray Wolves at arms' length for the remainder of the game, pushing the lead to 20 points by the end of the game.
The defense was the highlight for Shawnee State, with the Bears holding Lourdes to 29% from the field, and 21% from three for the game. The Bears also only allowed Lourdes to take six free throws on the day. SSU shot 44.4% from the field, and 43.8% from three, and hit 19 of 31 free throws.
Jayllen Carter had a game-high 17 points to lead Shawnee State. Tamal Watkins (FR/Columbus, Ohio) added 16 points and Jacob Daniels (SR/Peebles, Ohio) added 12. J Murrell led the team in rebounding with 10 on the day. Lourdes' Darriontae Stewart led the Gray Wolves with 16 points.
With the win, Shawnee State improves to 2-2 on the season, and snaps a two game losing streak. Lourdes falls to 1-5.
The Bears are back in action on Sunday, November 13th, finishing their weekend road trip at Ohio-Chillicothe. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00pm.
