SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Despite a late 8-1 run geared by a defensive outburst that forced two late turnovers in the final 75 seconds, the Shippensburg men's basketball team fell short in its comeback effort, dropping a 68-63 decision to West Chester on Saturday afternoon at Heiges Field House.

Senior guard Alex Jones had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but a long three-point attempt bounced off the rim and was rebounded by West Chester to clinch the victory.

One game after setting a career-high 30 points against Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Jones was held to a season-low three points on 1-of-10 shooting, all on three-point attempts.

West Chester (7-4) received a strong performance from talented freshman guard Kenneth St. George, who led all scorers with 22 points in addition to making 9-of-10 from the free-throw line including the team's last five attempts from the charity stripe.

The key to the victory for the Golden Rams was a 9-0 run that began at the 6:19 mark of the second half, as St. George delivered seven consecutive points to give West Chester a six-point lead.

Shippensburg (5-8) struggled from the field on the afternoon, shooting just 36 percent from the field while making just 58.8 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line. The Red Raiders also missed nine lay-up attempts in the game while being outscored in the paint, 28-24.

Red-shirt sophomore center Derrick Graff led Shippensburg in scoring with a career-high 19 points to go along with nine rebounds while red-shirt freshman guard David Reisinger delivered a career-high nine points by draining all three of his three-point attempts in the contest.

Freshman guard Justin Minter was the only other Red Raider in double figures, totaling 12 points to go along with two blocks and two steals. Red-shirt junior guard Ryan Kraft was in foul trouble for most of the game, totaling just five points, four steals and three rebounds before fouling out with 5:57 to go in the game.

Shippensburg had embarked upon a 9-0 run of their own early in the second half to turn a six-point deficit into a three-point lead, holding an 41-38 edge over the Golden Rams with 12:50 remaining.

West Chester, however, closed the game by outscoring the Red Raiders 30-22 en route to the five-point victory.

Shippensburg will conclude its third PSAC crossover of the season on Sunday when they host Millersville from Heiges Field House. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.

- Red Raider Basketball -