RICHMOND, Ind. -- En route to establishing one of the most iconic traditions and programs in the entire country, the women's basketball program at Shawnee State has put on masterclass performances time and again.
So it was only fitting that program win No. 900 was as dominant of a triumph as the 899 wins that came before it.
Down by a 6-2 margin just 2:35 into a River States Conference contest against Indiana-East, DeWayne Burroughs' group went on a 41-15 run to give the Bears a 43-21 advantage at one point before Shawnee State ultimately settled for a 45-27 halftime lead.
Then, when the Red Wolves cut the Bears' lead to a 47-40 count with 6:21 to play in the third quarter, Shawnee State followed by closing out the contest on a 36-7 run over the final 16 minutes and change to claim a 83-47 victory to grab the 900th win in program history Wednesday evening at Lingle Court in Richmond, Ind.
Game Breakdown
Shawnee State (10-3, 3-0 River States Conference) continued its solid defensive play for much of the contest as the Bears held Indiana-East (5-10, 1-2 River States Conference) to its second lowest point total of the season in the 36-point win. In doing so, the Bears mauled the Red Wolves by collecting a plus-21 rebounding advantage (53-32), forcing 18 turnovers, and limiting IU-East to 29.3 percent shooting (17-of-58) from the field and a 22.2 percent shooting mark (6-of-27) from three-point range.
Offensively, Shawnee State showed off its balance as a unit once again -- as the Bears put 12 different players in the scoring column and had nine individuals connect on at least one field goal attempt en route to shooting 28-of-65 (43.1 percent) from the field. SSU's relentlessness on the glass also showed -- with Shawnee State ripping down 23 offensive rebounds and ultimately obtaining 23 second-chance points as a result.
Burroughs' squad also nabbed massive edges in both points in the paint (42-14) and bench points (45-5) as Shawnee State led for the final 36:03 of game time.
Ms. Double-Double
Cianna Gloster and double-doubles. It's become a common theme.
The senior forward, who continues to be a pest for opponents on the low block, had a quintessential Cianna Gloster-esque game by nabbing 15 rebounds, 13 points and three steals on 6-of-9 shooting in Wednesday evening's victory.
Gloster was especially critical in the first quarter as the 6-0 forward from Flint, Mich. notched five points, five rebounds and two steals on 2-of-4 shooting in the opening quarter alone -- with her work on both ends allowing Shawnee State to go on a 12-0 run as the Bears turned the early 6-2 deficit into a 14-6 advantage.
Shawnee State never trailed again as Gloster posted 10 rebounds, eight points, and a steal over the final three quarters to keep the Bears in control.
Chambers, Ellis, Williams show off explosiveness
Throughout a stretch or multiple stretches of a contest, it's become expected for Jonilyah Chambers, Miyoshi Ellis and Laken Williams to make an impact of some type.
The duo did just that once again as the pair were explosive and productive in helping Shawnee State to collect its 10th win of the year and its 900th program win.
Chambers, who continues to display great promise in her freshman campaign, put together a terrific effort as the Huber Heights Wayne graduate posted 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 15 minutes of game action -- going 4-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line in an efficient performance. Chambers posted nine points in the second half alone to help close out the victory.
As for Ellis, the slippery point guard again did a number on the IU-East defense in isolation, scoring 10 points -- four points each coming in the second and fourth quarters of action.
Williams, meanwhile, continues to blossom like Chambers as the Martin County High School product collected nine points and four rebounds off of the pine on 3-of-5 shooting. Her sharpshooting has Williams on a terrific spurt over the past two games -- as Williams has gone 7-of-9 from the field (77.7 percent) in her last two games against No. 8 Rio Grande and Indiana-East.
Program history
With its 900th victory in program history, the Shawnee State women's basketball program moved to 900-271 all-time (76.9 percent) all-time. That winning percentage is still the highest of any women's college basketball program in the State of Ohio.
Additional
Behind the previously mentioned quartet, Emily Maynard and Lauren Hawthorne chipped in seven points and five rebounds apiece, while Jariah Steele added in seven points, two rebounds and two steals to boot and Jada Johnson added in six points and three rebounds as all four players helped Gloster in crashing the glass.
Lexi Deaver (four points, four rebounds, three steals) and Addison Edmondson (four points, two steals) also contributed in a heavy manner while Jaden Tucker added in the final tally.
Shawnee State returns to Waller Gymnasium Saturday afternoon to take on the Midway (Ky.) Eagles' women's basketball program. Game time is set for 3 p.m. in Portsmouth.
