Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg men's basketball team raced out to a 10-0 lead in its season opener on Monday night and never looked back in a 63-45 wire-to-wire victory over the Bald Eagles of Lock Haven from Heiges Field House.

Shippensburg (1-0) employed its typically tenacious defense to perfection, forcing 20 turnovers and holding the Bald Eagles to just 32-percent shooting from the field. No Lock Haven players posted double figures against the Red Raiders. 

Perhaps the most impressive feat was the defense employed by the Red Raiders against talented LHU senior forward Billy Arre. The preseason Division II All-American candidate and the 2007 PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year was held to the second-lowest point total of his career with just six points on 2-of-12 shooting.

It is only the fifth time in his career that Arre has been held to single digits in scoring, and ties the lowest point total he has had against a Division II opponent.

Offensively, the Red Raiders were lead by sophomore guard Justin Minter, who led all scorers with 16 points. Red-shirt junior center Derrick Graff totaled 10 points and eight rebounds, while red-shirt freshman guard Lamar Drayton drilled two three-pointers in his Red Raider debut.

Junior guard Brian Oleksiak continued to display his all-around versatility, making 4-of-5 from the field for eight points while dishing four assists, blocking two shots and stealing two passes in 26 minutes. Red-shirt senior guard Ryan Kraft totaled seven points in 19 minutes of action.

Junior Stephon Draper made his debut for Shippensburg as the team's point guard and finished with five points, five assists and two steals. Freshman forward Wes Kirkland impressed with six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.

As a part of the eighth annual “Food For the Hungry” drive sponsored by the men's basketball program, fans left non-perishable food items at the gates to help supply the King's Kettle Food Pantry of Shippensburg in its mission to help those less fortunate during the holiday season. 

The donations were the most charitable exchanges happening inside Heiges Field House on Monday night, as the teams combined for just six free-throw attempts in the contest. Shippensburg's only attempts came with 3:11 to play in the game, when Draper made 1-of-2 from the line. Lock Haven missed all four of its attempts from the charity stripe in the game.

Shippensburg will return to action Wednesday night when the team travels to Delaware to take on Goldey-Beacom College. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.