PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- One word can describe the Shawnee State women's basketball program's performances against the opposition this season -- suffocating.
The Bears more than continued their dominant play Saturday evening against Washington Adventist -- as Shawnee State placed four players in double-figures, had 10 different players score and outscored the Shock 42-10 in the second half in a dominant 77-32 showing on the second day of the three-day Shawnee State Classic, and the final day of action for the Bears in the classic Saturday evening at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.
Bear Paw Notes
Defensively, Shawnee State (3-0) hounded Washington Adventist (4-5) as the Bears forced 28 Shock turnovers, claimed a plus-13 rebounding margin on the glass (43-30) and nabbed seven blocks to boot en route to holding WAU to just 11-of-50 shooting from the field (22 percent) and a 2-of-16 mark from three-point range (12.5 percent).
In addition to their performance on the entire Washington Adventist team, the Shock's leading scorer, Isabela Lujan-Gonzales, never got untracked as Lujan-Gonzales, who came in averaging 15 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 steals per contest, was held to two points on 0-of-5 shooting while committing seven turnovers and failing to amass a single assist offensively.
Offensively, SSU kicked their performance into high gear in the second half -- as the Bears ultimately collected 19 assists on its 26 made field goals in Saturday's victory. Shawnee State ultimately went 15-of-31 from the field over the final 20 minutes of play to shoot 48.4 percent from the floor over that stretch.
Balanced scoring headlines blowout performance
One of the best features of Shawnee State's women's basketball roster is the Bears' ability to get different individuals involved -- and on Saturday evening, Shawnee State certainly did that.
Markayla Holland
Despite playing just 22 minutes due to the lopsided score, Markayla Holland's impact on the contest was notable as the standout junior finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks on 5-of-11 shooting.
Holland had five points in the opening quarter on 2-of-4 shooting, then posted seven points, two rebounds and a block on 3-of-4 shooting in seven third-quarter minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter in the 45-point win. Holland holds averages of 16.7 points, eight rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and two steals through the first three games of the year -- all while shooting a career-best 47.6 percent from the field and posting a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Cianna Gloster
Senior forward Cianna Gloster continues to showcase her dominance on both ends of the floor -- as the senior posted 12 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks for her third double-double in as many games during the 2024-25 season, and her 21st double-double in 33 contests over the course of the year. Like Holland, Gloster sat out the entire fourth quarter in Saturday's 45-point win.
An absolute menace defensively, Gloster holds averages of 15 points and 11.3 rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting from the field -- all while posting 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per outing.
Jariah Steele
An excellent slashing forward who isn't shy of contact and can hit the open jumper to boot, sophomore Jariah Steele continued to showcase growth in an 11-point, five-rebound, two-assist, two-steal, one-block statline on 3-of-5 shooting in just 14 minutes of action. Steele also was 5-of-6 from the free throw line to boot.
Through three games, Steele has proven to be an automatic bucket as the Cincinnati native has averaged 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest on 69.3 percent shooting from the field, 100 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line -- in just 16.3 minutes per contest due to the wide margin of victory.
Lexi Deaver, Emily Maynard
Accomplished local natives who have showcased their ability to score the basketball, especially from the outside, Lexi Deaver and Emily Maynard blitzed the nets from three-point range as 22 and 2 were all over it from deep.
Combined, the duo went 7-of-14 from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range in a fantastic shooting display against Washington Adventist that saw the pair go 50 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three-point range.
Maynard finished with a season-high 11 points and five rebounds while going 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range, while Deaver went 3-of-6 from three-point land for nine points in her own right as the duo's shooting proved to be on point.
Deaver is shooting 46.7 percent from three-point range while Maynard holds a 44.4 percent clip from that area.
Table-setters: Gregory, Deaver
Deaver, who also showcased poise in running the offense effectively with the first-team group alongside primary ballhandler Sanaya Gregory, combined with Gregory to post seven assists and five steals -- as the pair joined Gloster, Holland and Steele in sitting out the entire fourth quarter with the game in hand after a dominant 23-4 third-quarter run.
For the season, Gregory is second in assists per game (3.3) and is tied for second in steals per game (1.7). Deaver, meanwhile, holds a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is second among the starting five.
Additional
Jada Johnson, who leads all bench scorers for Shawnee State this season with 7.7 points per outing, posted five points, three rebounds and a block to head the charge behind Maynard, while Jonilyah Chambers, an exciting freshman talent who has showcased excellent playmaking ability, is averaging five points on 55.6 percent shooting and a 33.3 percent clip from three-point range -- and posted five points in 12 minutes Saturday evening.
Molly Howard enjoyed a four-point outing on two low-post finishes inside late in the going while Miyoshi Ellis (three points, three rebounds, three assists, steal) and Amiya Latham (three points) rounded out the scoring for the Bears.
With the victories on back-to-back nights, Shawnee State will turn its attention to action at 'The Show' in Kingsport, Tenn. -- as the Bears will take on Faulkner (Ala.) and Montreat (N.C.) Friday afternoon and Saturday evening, respectively. Shawnee State plays Faulkner at 2:15 p.m. Friday and follows with an 8:45 p.m. tipoff against Montreat on Saturday.
