The men's basketball program at Shawnee State, once again, used excellent balance to put together yet another winning result as the Bears, for the fourth contest in as many bouts in the 2019-20 campaign, put at least five players in double-figures as SSU, following a tight battle with Midway in the opening half of competition, pulled away to a 83-57 victory over the Eagles to move to 4-0 on the season in the opening contest of the Sean Elliott Memorial Classic sponsored by Jimmy John's.
Shawnee State, who shot 39.7 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from three-point range, overcame those shooting marks by playing a disciplined defensive game as the Bears held Midway to just 26 percent shooting from the field and 31.3 percent shooting from deep as Midway was held to a scant 19-of-73 shooting and 5-of-16 from deep in the contest.
As with the majority of their performances so far during the 2019-20 season, Shawnee State's control over the contest was in little doubt, thanks to the play of individuals such as Justin Johnson and Kyree Elder. Johnson and Elder, who arguably had the best offensive performances of the evening for the Bears, were on their game early as the duo combined for 12 of Shawnee State's first 19 points as the Bears took a 19-12 advantage with 12:39 to play in the opening half.
Following a short two-minute dry spell from Shawnee State, Midway's Kwon Evans -- who led the Eagles with 23 points -- scored five of the contest's next seven points to cut the SSU lead to a 21-17 margin. At that point, however, Tim Biakapia was able to get more heavily involved with the offensive flow, and as a result, was able to score each of the Bears' next seven points to push the lead to a 28-17 margin with 8:39 to play in the opening half of competition.
Midway cut into the lead slightly by cutting the lead to a 31-24 lead with 7:03 to go, but at that juncture, Shawnee State went on a massive 14-3 run as Selby Hind-Wills came off of the bench to supply seven quick points and a massive boost of energy that allowed the Bears to extend their lead out to double-digits for good in the affair as SSU took a 45-29 lead over Midway at the halftime break.
In the second half of action, the Eagles tried to respond as Midway started the half on a 5-0 spurt and cut the lead down to 10 points on one occasion in the contest as Evans assisted on a bucket and scored on a second attempt to bring the Eagles within 49-39 with 15:19 to play. However, Shawnee State essentially erased that Midway run -- and built on its lead -- as a critical 11-1 run that was fueled by Johnson, Elder, Biakapia, Hind-Wills, and Desmond Crosby, Jr., with the latter of whom connecting on a three-pointer, to put the game away in less than a two-minute span as SSU took a 60-40 lead with 13:36 to play, and cruised to the victory from that point on forward.
Johnson and Elder, behind their hot starts, finished with strong numbers as Johnson went 5-of-9 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line en route to a 15-point, nine-rebound showing, while Elder, who played a game-high 33 minutes, shot 6-of-13 from the field as the senior collected 14 points, seven rebounds, and a team-high two steals to contribute in all facets.
Behind the main duo, Biakapia's 4-of-8 shooting from the floor, along with his 6-of-10 shooting from the free throw line, allowed the senior forward from Germantown, Md. to obtain 14 points and five rebounds, while Crosby, Jr. posted 13 points, an impressive eight rebounds at his 5-10 stature, and shot 2-of-4 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the foul line to add to the balanced attack. Hind-Wills' 11 points, four rebounds and a block in 18 minutes, along with EJ Onu's 12 rebounds, six points, and three blocks on 3-of-6 shooting from the field in 18 additional tallies, rounded out the main outputs for the Bears.
With the victory, Shawnee State, who moved to 4-0 overall, will play West Virginia Tech as part of the second day of action in the Sean Elliott Classic sponsored by Jimmy John's. That contest, which is at 3 p.m. on Saturday, follows the Berkeley College and Midway bout, which starts off the second day of action at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Waller Gymnasium.
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