PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - NAIA Division II No. 2 Shawnee State pushed its record to 30-0 with a 59-47 win over No. 17 Cedarville in the American Mideast Conference Showcase.

The first-ever contest, which replaced the old AMC Championship Game, featured the league's top two teams. Despite having already qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, the third battle of the year between the two rivals turned out to be a defensive struggle.

The Lady Jackets scored the final seven points of the first half to pull within 26-23 at the break. After SSU pushed the difference up to nine, Alison Lemon hit a pair of three-pointers sandwiched around a Bears' basket to make it 43-38 with 6:45 left. However, Shawnee State answered with a 14-3 run to ice it.

Lemon and Kara Cayton netted 12 points each for the Lady Jackets, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped to fall to 21-8. Shawnee State shot 31 percent from the field while Cedarville made just 28 percent of its shots.

CU's last loss was an 88-84 setback at home to Shawnee State on Jan. 31 which is the closest game the Bears had since winning by four on Dec. 19. The Bears were 14-0 at home this season outscoring the opposition by 34 points per game. The Jackets gave them their two toughest battles on their own floor - 68-57 on Nov. 25 as well as the 12-point margin in the AMC Showcase. [STATS]