The Bears traveled an hour up the road to take on rival Rio Grande in the first round of the Bevo Francis Invitational. SSU's effort on the glass and relentless defense lead the way to an 84-52 victory.
Defense was the order of business tonight at Rio Grande. Once again SSU's defensive pressure was crucial in the Bears grabbing the lead. While the defense was impressive, SSU's dominance on the glass (30-19) helped the Bears take a 35-25 halftime lead.
After the break, Rio scored and early bucket before Miles Thomas ignited a quick SSU run. He knocked down a step back 3, then drove down the lane and finished with a monsterous left handed jam. Moments later, a steal and windmill dunk forced a Rio timeout with the Bears up 48-27. They maintained a double figure margin the rest of the way to improve to 4-0 on season.
- Miles Thomas lead the way with 20 points
- Elijah Bishop was outstanding going 6-11 from the floor and 3-3 from the foul line for 16 points
- Courtese Cooper had a double double with 11 points and 14rebounds
- Latavious Mitchell pitched in with 9 points and 8 rebounds
- The Bears out rebounded Rio 54-29
The Championship game is scheduled for 1:00 at Rio Grande. It will feature the top 2 ranked teams in the NAIA, as top ranked SSU takes on the 2nd ranked University of Saint Francis(IN). It will be a rematch of last seasons NAIA semi-final game.
