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Despite trailing 33-32 at halftime, the Shawnee State University Bears outscored Jamestown, North Dakota 44-32 in the second half for a 76-65 NAIA Elite 8 Championship win, Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Bears now play Saint Francis, Indiana Monday in the National Semifinal, also in K.C.
The Bears’ James Jones poured in 31 points to lead all players while Miles Thomas added 10. Nine SSU players got into the scoring column with Donavon Carlisle adding 8 points. A.J. Onu grabbed 12 rebounds for Shawnee State.
Jamestown had three players in double figures, with Mason Walters leading the way in the loss with 20 points.
The Bears shot 28/66 from the field- including a chilly 4/21 from the three-point arc for total of 42%. They added 16/21 from the foul line and had 41 team rebounds while committing 11 turnovers.
Jamestown shot 25/61 from the field- including 5/23 from the arc for 41% and added 10/12 from the charity stripe. They committed 13 turnovers and grabbed 34 rebounds.
The Bears improve to (28-2) and are winners of 25 straight, advancing to the Final Four for the first time in SSU Mens’ Basketball history. It is the first appearance for Shawnee State University in the NAIA Basketball Final 4 since the women’s basketball team got there in 2010-11.
SSU will play Saint Francis, Indiana in the national semis, after advancing with an 89-81 win Saturday over Bethel, Indiana.
