The men’s and women’s basketball teams traveled to Portsmouth, Ohio to take on Shawnee State last Saturday. The two games had separate outcomes, as the two teams rallied for a playoff spot.
Women’s Basketball almost pulled off a comeback win but fell short in a 61-59 final.
The Pioneers kicked off the game with a quick five point lead, holding Shawnee State scoreless for almost two minutes. The Bears answered with a speedy 10-point lead to end the first quarter, and Point Park concluded the quarter with nine points.
The Bears held this lead for the remainder of the game. Point Park slowly cut the deficit in the final minutes of the fourth quarter after Shawnee State made their final shot with 3:47 remaining.
Backup point guard Aichata Ballo put up eight points in the final quarter to help create a comeback.
Ultimately, foul trouble and clock management cut the Pioneers’ final rally short, ending only two points behind the Bears.
The Pioneers allowed 22 turnovers, resulting in the Bears scoring 16 total points off of turnovers alone.
Nearly half of Shawnee State’s points stemmed from sister duo Cienna and Chianne Gloster, who combined for 28 points and eight steals. Cienna also had 17 rebounds and three blocks.
The top performers for the Pioneers were Alexis Giles and Gabriella Legister, contributing 14 points each. Ballo had yet another high scoring game with 12 points. Ari Bleda put up 11 points, two steals and a block.
The Pioneers are now third in the River States Conference (RSC) East at 9-5 behind undefeated Rio Grande and 9-4 Ohio Christian. Shawnee State sits at fourth place with a 8-6 record.
The men’s team brought different results, as they managed a 72-64 win over the Bears.
Shawnee State and Point Park went back-and-forth for the lead, and the Pioneers managed a 36-35 lead at the half.
The teams continued to fight for dominance in the second half, after five total lead changes and multiple tied scores.
After a tied game at 7:20 remaining, the Pioneers gained momentum, scoring 19 points to take control of the matchup. They allowed 11 points from the Bears during this time.
Top scorers for the Bears included Keith Germain with 18 points, as well as 16 points from both Tre Beard and Tyreke Johnson. The Pioneers held key player Chaze Harris to six points, going 2-12 from the field.
Jo Valrie was the highest scorer of the night at 24 points and 13 rebounds. Nathaniel Van and Jags Jhawar added 12 points each, and Jalen Stamps finished with 11 points.
Entering the game, Valrie needed 15 points in order to hit the mark for 1,000 total points with the Pioneers. His 17-point first half brought him the accolade, and he now sits at 1,009 points after 50 total games.
The dub earned the men’s team the first place spot in the RSC East at 12-2, and Shawnee State stands right behind them at 11-3.
Both Point Park teams play their final away game this Saturday against Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky. The Pioneers return home next week to play their two final games of the regular season.
