PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Buoyed by 44 bench points -- including a double-double from Shawnee State women's basketball junior forward
Kyla Torok (20 points, 10 rebounds) -- the women's basketball program at Shawnee State was able to lay claim to its third consecutive win Friday evening in a nonconference contest against Madonna, as the Bears notched a 68-59 victory over the Crusaders in the nightcapper of the opening day of the Bear Classic, which was held at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.
GAME SUMMARY
Shawnee State (3-1) got all 44 of its bench points from Torok, fellow junior
TK Catchings and senior guard
Miyoshi Ellis -- as the trio also represented each of the Bears' three double-figure scorers on the evening.
Together, Torok, Catchings and Ellis combined to go 19-of-33 from the field en route to combining for not only 44 points, but nabbing 19 rebounds as well. The duo of Torok and Ellis also combined for seven assists by themselves.
In Shawnee State's difference-making third-quarter that saw the Bears outscore the Crusaders by a 26-17 margin, Torok, Catchings and Ellis outscored Madonna by themselves in the quarter as the trio nabbed 19 points, five rebounds and three assists between them in the frame while shooting 9-of-11 from the field.
Despite the tight contest -- with Shawnee State leading by no more than 12 points at any point -- the Bears only trailed one time for a total of five seconds in the contest -- when
Emily Maynard answered Terre'ya Moore's post bucket with a three-point field goal on the very next possession to give Shawnee State a 3-2 lead with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter.
From that point forward, Shawnee State never trailed -- as the Bears fended off each Madonna run successfully, closing the contest out on an 8-2 run over the game's final 2:30 to seal the win.
Ride 25
Playing with high energy from the opening tip,
Kyla Torok was terrific -- especially in the second half.
Showing off great extension and a fluid motion with her mid-range jumper, Torok had her patented shot working from all angles in Friday's nine-point win. The junior ultimately posted 16 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal on 8-of-11 shooting in the second half of competition -- including scoring each of Shawnee State's first four points in the third and fourth frames in the triumph.
Torok ultimately posted her 20 points and 10 rebounds on excellent efficiency, going 10-of-13 from the field in 29 minutes of game action and getting excellent looks within 12 feet and in while being appropriately aggressive with her shot selection.
TK turns up
Bringing a much-needed level of physicality to the floor with her 6-0 frame, Shawnee State junior center
TK Catchings was efficient throughout, posting 12 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal in 16 minutes of game action while going 4-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Catchings posted all 12 points and five rebounds in the second and third quarters of play as the native of New Hebron, Mississippi caused issues for Madonna on the glass all evening long, helping the Bears double up the Crusaders in second-chance points in the contest (12-6) as a result.
Miyoshi is Money
Quick and decisive once a driving lane or a passing lane opens up, Shawnee State senior guard
Miyoshi Ellis was again stout in the Bears 68-59 victory off of the bench.
Ellis, who played a team-high 33 minutes, came in at the 5:08 mark of the opening quarter and played in 33 of the game's final 35 minutes, tallying 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal while turning the basketball over just twice for a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the game.
ADDITIONAL
Along with the above trio,
Emily Maynard (nine points, two rebounds, one steal, 3-of-8 three-point field goals),
Jonilyah Chambers (nine points, two assists, two steals) and
Laken Williams (six points) all contributed to the scoring column, while Chambers, Torok and Winton Woods High School-turned-Shawnee State freshmen
Ra'Khyia Prince and
Skylar Kesler combined for eight steals, helping the Bears collect a 26-14 advantage in points off turnovers in the contest.
Shawnee State (3-1) will be back in action Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. against Carolina, N.C. (0-5) at Waller Gymnasium, while Madonna (2-1) finishes out the Bear Classic with a contest against West Virginia Tech (3-1) immediately following the SSU-Carolina matchup at Waller Gymnasium.
For more on the Shawnee State women's basketball program, visit the Bears on Instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/shawneestatebears_wbb/ or on X at
https://x.com/SSUWBB.
