The women's basketball program at Shawnee State overcame an early 11-0 deficit to begin Saturday afternoon's contest against the Webber International Warriors' women's basketball program to tie the score at 25 apiece late in the first half and, after falling behind by a 56-39 count in the second half, trimmed the Webber International lead to a 67-59 margin, but couldn't finish off the comeback victory as the Bears fell to the Warriors, 79-68, in the final day of the two-day Webber International Classic that was held in Babson Park, Fla.

Shawnee State ultimately went 21-for-56 from the field and 4-for-20 from long distance in the setback. The Bears committed 23 turnovers and posted just seven assists as a team while Webber International notched 13 assists on its 23 made baskets and committed 13 turnovers in the contest.

Deaver shows determination

Not one to ever back down from a challenge, Shawnee State freshman guard Lexi Deaver put together another solid performance on her line Saturday.

Coming off of the bench in Saturday afternoon's matchup, Deaver supplied a team-high 18 points -- scoring seven tallies in the second quarter of action and adding in another seven notches in the fourth and final frame to keep Webber International on its toes late in the going.

Deaver ultimately went 8-for-10 from the free throw line and shot 2-of-6 from three-point range en route to her 18-point outing.

Gloster posts yet another double-double performance

Efficient throughout her 30 minutes of game action, Shawnee State senior forward Cianna Gloster posted her seventh double-double outing through the first 13 games of the 2023-24 season with a 12-rebound, 10-point performance -- which included nine rebounds and seven points between the second and third quarters alone. Gloster notched her 10 points on just three shots from the floor, while her 12 rebounds -- a game-high -- helped the Bears claim a plus-11 advantage (35-24) on the glass.

For the season, Gloster is averaging a double-double through the Bears' first 13 games, as the senior is averaging 12.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest on 60.7 percent shooting from the field.

Holland, Steele show flashes of brillance

Showcasing their slashing styles over portions of the contest, Markayla Holland and Jariah Steele were each productive. Holland notched five points each in the second and fourth quarters of action en route to a 12-point effort and notched three steals to lead the Bears while Steele scored six points on a 3-for-3 shooting in the third quarter and grabbed four rebounds in the same frame en route to an 11-point, eight-rebound showing. Steele ultimately went 5-for-9 from the field from a shooting standpoint.

Additional

Shawnee State (8-5) returns to River States Conference action Thursday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 when the Bears face Indiana-Southeast at 5:30 p.m. and Midway (Ky.) at 1 p.m. on those dates, respectively.

For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages at https://twitter.com/ SSUBears, https://www. facebook.com/SSUBears, https:/ /www.instagram.com/ssubears/? hl=en, and https://www. youtube.com/@ ssubearsathletics/videos. 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.