SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. – The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's basketball team earned a crucial 77-70 victory over Shawnee State (Ohio) in a River States Conference showdown at Knoerle Center on Wednesday evening. The win pushed SMWC's record to 18-3 on the season and 8-1 in conference play, maintaining their lead atop the Western Division standings.
Greg Jenkins led the way for the Pomeroys with a team-high 20 points, shooting 6-of-15 from the field and contributing five rebounds and five assists. His strong performance was supported by
Shon Tupuola, who posted a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds, helping SMWC dominate the glass with a 38-32 rebound advantage.
DaMeriz Merriweather added a spark off the bench, contributing 9 points and 3 assists in 27 minutes.
Caleb Iheukwu and
Greg Johnson each chipped in 8 points, with Johnson also grabbing 5 rebounds.
Shawnee State (10-11, 5-4 RSC) was led by
Ezra McKee, who had a game-high 21 points, including 7-of-11 shooting from the field. However, the Bears were unable to overcome SMWC's strong second-half effort despite a late surge. The Pomeroys outscored Shawnee State 37-38 in the second half, maintaining their lead throughout the contest.
SMWC's defense stifled Shawnee State's offensive rhythm, limiting the Bears to just 41.1% shooting from the field. The Pomeroys also capitalized on 18 second-chance points and 36 points in the paint to close out the victory.
The second half started with a quick exchange of baskets, with Shawnee State narrowing the gap to 42-35 on a three-pointer from Tre Beard at the 19:19 mark. However, SMWC responded with a pair of clutch three-pointers from
Greg Johnson, the second of which put the Pomeroys up 45-35.
Shawnee State continued to fight back, as Ezra McKee hit a free throw to bring the Bears within 45-39 with 17:04 left. However, a dunk from
Shon Tupuola and a free throw from
Greg Jenkins kept the Pomeroys' lead intact at 48-39.
The Bears kept pressuring with several key layups from AJ Belton and Beard, and a fast-break layup by Cory Gardner cut the Pomeroys' lead to just 50-48 at the 12:33 mark. Shawnee State's momentum stalled, though, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods responded with timely baskets, including a three-pointer by
Taray Howell to push the lead to 54-50 at the 9:35 mark.
With under five minutes remaining, Jenkins made a pair of free throws to put the Pomeroys up 62-61, and they would not relinquish the lead. Howell's three-pointer at 3:54 helped SMWC stretch the lead to 66-61, and Jenkins and Tupuola continued to play key roles in securing crucial rebounds and adding points.
Shawnee State's final surge came in the form of another three-pointer by Beard, cutting the deficit to 73-70 with under a minute left. However, Jenkins sealed the game with a pair of free throws, and Howell added two more to finish the contest with a 77-70 victory.
The Pomeroys will return to action on Saturday, February 1, when they host Rio Grande (Ohio) at 1 p.m. ET in another important River States Conference matchup inside Knoerle Center.
