Shawnee State women's basketball head coach DeWayne Burroughs has always desired to run a deep bench in order to keep fresh legs going throughout the contest.
Friday evening's victory was a direct result of that.
The SSU women's basketball program put five players in double-figures (Jariah Steele, Markayla Holland, Lexi Deaver, Chianne Gloster and Cianna Gloster), notched 20 assists, and went 32-of-59 from the field -- including an 11-of-20 clip from three-point range -- in the Bears' 91-84 victory over the Culver-Stockton Wildcats' women's basketball program at Waller Gymnasium.
Friday's win was the fourth straight victory for Shawnee State (4-1), who shot 54.2 percent for the contest and 55 percent from three-point range. The Bears, in shooting 11-of-20 from three-point range for the contest, went 8-of-12 in the opening half of play alone with six different players knocking down three-point shots to give SSU a 55-33 halftime advantage.
Culver-Stockton ultimately whittled the lead down to an 81-76 margin with 5:55 to play in the contest, but Shawnee State didn't allow the Wildcats to get any closer as the Bears went on a 8-3 run to push the lead back out to double-digits before settling for the seven-point triumph.
Steele's performance smooth as silk
Notching a new career-best through five games, Shawnee State freshman forward Jariah Steele was highly efficient through the contest as well as skilled in transition.
Steele ultimately scored 10 of her 19 points in the opening quarter of play and never looked back en route to notching a career-high in not only her point tally (19), but in total rebounds as well, with six. Steele also went 7-of-10 from the free throw line and notched a pair of assists and two steals in 28 minutes of action.
Holland, Gloster sisters consistent again
Continuing to be consistent with their overall play, Markayla Holland, Cianna Gloster and Chianne Gloster were again strongholds for the Bears in another balanced Shawnee State offensive attack.
Holland and Chianne Gloster each scored eight points in the first quarter of action en route to 13 and 10 tallies, respectively, while Cianna Gloster scored nine of her 11 points in the second and third frames of play. The trio combined to shoot 14-of-26 from the field with Cianna Gloster posting seven rebounds and three steals and Chianne Gloster adding in two steals of her own in the contest.
Gregory, Deaver set table nicely
As the lead guards running the show, Sanaya Gregory and Lexi Deaver each made heady plays on the offensive side of the floor for the Bears.
While the pair went 2-of-13 from the field, their steady presences in both floor communication as well as their general poise of the offense far outweighed any shooting numbers -- as evidenced by the duo combining for 11 assists to just four turnovers, posting a near 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio in the process.
Gregory ultimately posted nine assists and added in a pair of steals, while Deaver knocked down both of her three-point attempts on the night and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe to finish with a team-high 12 points off of the bench.
Additional/NEXT UP
Emily Maynard, who went 3-of-4 from the field -- all from three-point range -- finished with nine points in a strong shooting performance while Amiya Latham had six for Shawnee State on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and from three-point range. Teyarra Johnson's five points and Maelynn Howell's two points and two rebounds rounded out the SSU output.
For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter and Facebook pages at https://twitter.com/SSUBears and https://www.facebook.com/SSUBears. For more information on how to join the SSU Bear Club or for sponsorship of specific SSU players or events, visit https://givetossu.com/bear-club and https://givetossu.com/sponsorthebears.
Video -- Shawnee State 91, Culver-Stockton (Mo.) 84 -- DeWayne Burroughs post game
