PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- It's always rewarding for a good basketball team to get many different individuals involved -- in order to not only get various looks desired but to also reward players for their work in practice as well.
The women's basketball program at Shawnee State was certainly able to do that Saturday afternoon, as the Bears placed 12 different players in the scoring column with 10 of those players contributing five or more points to the final tally of the (RV) Bears' 82-52 victory over Carolina (N.C.) on the final day of the Bear Classic, which was played at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.
GAME SUMMARY
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Taking a commanding 15-6 lead to begin the contest, Shawnee State was able to get five points from
Skylar Kesler and four tallies from
Miyoshi Ellis over the contest's first 6:35 to help the Bears lay stake to a sizeable advantage early on.
Carolina countered with a 7-2 spurt to end the opening quarter down by just four (17-13), but Shawnee State responded with a fantastic start to the second frame, as the Bears sprinted out to a 9-0 run over the first 5:37 of the quarter with
Laken Williams scoring five straight tallies in a 51 second span to head up the charge, giving Shawnee State a 26-13 lead.
With Shawnee State taking a 35-22 advantage into the locker room following a putback basket by
Kyla Torok with four seconds to play in the opening half, the Bears were off and running -- and began the third frame on a 23-11 run as seven different players scored over a span of 7:11 to help SSU take a 58-35 lead with 2:49 to play in the opening quarter.
TK Catchings, who finished with a team-high 13 points in 13 minutes for the Bears, scored nine points in a five-minute span during the quarter -- helping DeWayne Burroughs' squad take a 61-36 lead at the end of the third frame of play as SSU cruised home from there.
Along with Catchings' 13 points and five rebounds -- which came on 3-for-5 shooting from the field and a 7-for-7 mark from the free throw line -- Williams added in 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal on 4-for-7 shooting while Ellis and Torok each added in eight tallies with Ellis producing eight points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals and Torok adding in eight points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal to boot. Torok went a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in doing so.
Five additional players posted between six to seven points in the game, including Kesler (seven points, two rebounds, block, 3-for-3 shooting),
Jaden Tucker (seven points, three steals, two rebounds, 3-for-6 shooting),
Jonilyah Chambers (six points, three assists),
Emily Maynard (six points, two rebounds, two assists) and
Savannah Cantrell, who posted career highs of six points and three steals while going 3-of-4 from the field.
Makenzie Daubenmire added in five points while
Kenya Peck's four points,
Ra'Khyia Prince's two points and two steals, and
Saratina Jackson's four rebounds rounded out the production for Shawnee State in the contest.
ADDITIONAL
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Along with the victory, (RV) Shawnee State, who won its fourth consecutive contest with the triumph, recognized its 2024-25 River States Conference Regular Season Championship Team with rings as part of last season's success. The Bears, who went a perfect 16-0 during the regular season against its conference opponents, finished the year 28-5 with a 70-62 victory over Loyola (La.) in the NAIA Opening Round. The record was Shawnee State's best since the 2019-20 season, and its first NAIA National Tournament win since 2021.
Players are as follows:
Graduates from last year's group include:
For more on the Shawnee State women's basketball program, visit the Bears on Instagram atÂ
https://www.instagram.com/shawneestatebears_wbb/Â or on X atÂ
https://x.com/SSUWBB.
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