SSU Sports Information

From Thursday:

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Women’s basketball used double-figure scoring from each of its five starters to take down Pikeville, 87-76. The No. 2 Bears (8-1, 3-1 MSC) trailed by four at the half in what was the MSC road opener for the squad, but used a 15-point second half advantage to deny Pikeville’s (2-5, 1-3 MSC) upset bid.

Shawnee State, which shot .541 from the field, including a .429 mark from beyond the arc, got a season and game-high 24 points from Schera Sampson. She would add her second double-double in three games by pulling down 11 rebounds. Alex Pohl poured in 18 more points and just missed another double-double with eight rebounds.

The rest of the starting lineup, Abby Feuchter, Alannah Sheets and Kara Long finished the win with 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively. The point totals from both freshmen, Feuchter and Long, marked the first time they reached double figure scoring during a game this season.

The first half was an offensive display as the two sides combined for 86 points. In the fast-paced action, the score would be tied at four different points throughout the first half. The lead would also change hands at seven different points during that time.

The opening three minutes saw each side score seven points. Pikeville then looked to be getting into its offensive rhythm as it would hold a 13 point lead (33-20) – the largest of the night – with 9:17 to go in the first. Just 2:13 later, it was SSU that showed off its scoring prowess as it cut the lead to three.

By the time there was 5:40 showing on the clock, the Bears had completely erased the deficit with the score tied at 35-all. Shawnee State would hold a three point lead with 1:41 to play before the break, but Pikeville would score the final seven points of the half to retake the lead, 45-41.

After taking a four point lead into the locker rooms, Pikeville score the opening basket of the second half to take a six point lead, 47-41 with 19:14 to play. However, the Bears defense would hold their counterparts off the scoreboard until the 16:25 mark. During that stretch, the Bears’ starting freshmen would score eight unanswered points, including a pair of threes by Long to take the lead.

A layup by Pikeville at the 16:25 would tie the score at 49-all to end the Bears’ 8-0 run. On the next trip down the floor, Sampson would give the Bears a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night with her own layup.

Once the score got 53-51 in favor of SSU with just over 15 minutes to play, the Bears then went on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to stretch their lead to nine, 60-53. A six point deficit was all the closer Pikeville could bring the score for the remaining 13 minutes, which happened on two separate occasions, at 80-74 with 3:39 left and 82-76 with 2:29 remaining.

After making one of her two free throws to stretch the lead to seven with 1:36 left, Feuchter then hit a jumper on the Bears’ next possession to give her squad a nine point lead with 1:23 remaining. This was more than enough as the SSU defense tightened and did not allow Pikeville another point over the last 2:29 of play.

The Bears’ starters accounted for all but six points in the team’s win. In addition to double figure scoring from each, four of the five starters connected on a three and had a steal, while all five tallied at least one assist. Pikeville finished the game with a .458 shooting percentage from the field, including a 6-of-15 night from three.

Women’s basketball will be back in action today at UVA-Wise. The MSC game will tip-off at 2 p.m. and be followed by the men’s game at 4 p.m.

SSU Men downed by No. 9 Pikeville, 90-71

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Men’s basketball fell 90-71 at Pikeville Thursday evening in what was the Mid-South road opener for the squad. Pikeville (10-1, 3-1 MSC), who came into the game ranked ninth in the country, used a balanced attack that featured six players scoring in double figures against the Bears (4-4, 2-2 MSC) to pick up the victory.

Shawnee State got a double-double from Tyler Morgan, who finished with a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds. His double-double was his fourth of the season. He has now scored in double figures in every game this season. His 12 rebounds was just one off his season high.

The Bears offense jumped out to a quick start with the help of two steals. A Tyler Boyles steal following the opening tip led to an Andrew Devlin layup. On the next defensive set, it was Morgan that came up with a steal. After a miss in the paint, an offensive rebound by Boyles kept the possession alive and he would find Austin Vance for three to give the Bears a 5-0 lead just 1:17 into the game.

Pikeville would tie the game at seven-all just under four minutes into the opening half, but a layup from Nick Gouch would give SSU its lead back. Pikeville would come back to tie the game at 11-all with 12:03 in the first half and took its first lead of the game as they added the free throw attempt on the and-one following a layup.

This came as part of 13-0 run as Pikeville took a 20-11 lead with 9:37 to play in the first after the Bears offense cooled off and could not find a basket for a five-plus minute stretch. Pikeville’s largest lead of the first half came with 2:13 to play and the hosts up 36-24. On the Bears’ final possession of the first half, Trevor Banks would drain a three to cut the Pikeville lead to eight, but the hosts still took a 37-29 lead into their locker rooms at the break.

A layup and three by Vance on Shawnee State’s opening two possessions of the second half would help cut Pikeville’s advantage to five, but that would be all the closer SSU could get on the evening. Pikeville did not go on any big runs during the opening parts of the second half but solid, consistent play led the hosts to as much as 24 point edge at two different intervals during the second half.

The first of those came with 7:30 on the clock with the score at 74-50, while the second and final 24 point edge came with 6:04 to play with the score 79-55. Pikeville then just had to wind down the clock before closing out its 88-67 victory.

The Bears shot 50-percent from the field in the second half and 40.9-percent for the game, but they could just not contain Pikeville which made over 59-percent of its shots, including a 7-of-16 mark from distance.

In addition to Morgan’s 14 points, Vance, Boyles and Gouch each finished with eight points. Banks finished with seven points off the bench, while four others added six points to the score sheet. Shawnee State did go a perfect 10-for-10 from the line in the game. Ian Nixson made all four of his free throw tries, while Boyles, Banks and George Hill each made their two respective attempts.

Men’s basketball will now look to rebound today at UVA-Wise. That Mid-South contest is scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m.