Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg men's basketball team overcame an eight-point second-half deficit with clutch shooting and staunch defense to record its fourth victory of the season in a 71-70 upset of No. 20 Pittsburgh-Johnstown from Heiges Field House.

Monday night's game was the definition of a seesaw contest - with the teams combining for eight ties and 12 lead changes. About the only difference was the one point on the scoreboard, as each squad ended up with identical totals for rebounds (34), three-pointers (nine), turnovers (14) and assists (16).  

Shippensburg (4-0) solidified the victory with its gritty and grinding defense that held the Mountain Cats to just nine points in the final eight minutes of the contest. UPJ entered the contest averaging 86.6 points per game but was held 16 points below that average by the Red Raiders on Monday night.

All five of Shippensburg's starters recorded double figures in scoring for the first time since the season finale last year against Indiana (Pa.). Junior Stephon Draper led the Raiders with 18 points (including four 3-pointers), while red-shirt junior center Derrick Graff delivered another virtuoso performance with 15 points and 16 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double.

UPJ (5-1) dictated the pace of the game at times with its two offensive weapons - seniors Marcus Tullis and Quinton Davis. Tullis led all scorers with 23 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Davis added 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

With 8:12 to play, UPJ held a 61-53 lead following two free throws from Davis. An unexpected leader then came to the scoring rescue for Shippensburg, as stalwart junior forward Brian Oleksiak put up seven consecutive points in a 71-second span to cut the deficit to one point at 6:46. 

A layup from Draper tied the game at 62-62 with 4:35 remaining, and an exchange of free throws brought the score to 64-64 at the 3:21 mark.

From there, Shippensburg would not trail for the remainder of the game. Sophomore guard Justin Minter was fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer with 2:53 to go, and red-shirt senior guard Ryan Kraft came off the bench and sunk all three free throws.

The teams got sloppy with some turnovers in the final minutes but delivered some heart-thumping excitement in the final minute. With 31 seconds remaining, Draper made his first of two free throw attempts to give Shippensburg a 68-65 lead.

Following a miss on the second attempt, Davis raced the length of the court for UPJ and converted a layup that left the score at 68-67 with 24 seconds left. Kraft was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the line, giving Shippensburg a two-point cushion with 16 seconds left.

Needing a two-pointer to tie the game, UPJ's Danny Branch missed an open 3-pointer with six seconds left but teammate Andy Byer came up with the rebound. Graff forced Byer to adjust his shot, which was promptly blocked by Kraft.

Graff got the rebound with three seconds left, was fouled, and hit both free throws at the other end to solidify the victory. Davis swished a turn-around, no-look 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game had Graff not sunk both free throws. 

The victory was vindication for the Red Raiders after a heartbreaking loss in last season's meeting between the two teams at Sports Center. UPJ got a layup from Chris Gilliam at the buzzer to earn an 87-85 victory over Shippensburg on January 2.  

Kraft finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Oleksiak added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Minter totaled 10 points, including three 3-pointers. With the win, eighth-year head coach Dave Springer is now just two victories short of 100 at Shippensburg University.

Shippensburg will return to action this weekend at the East Stroudsburg Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Raiders will battle Chestnut Hill on Friday before taking on Queens (NY) College on Saturday. Both games start at 3 p.m. from Koehler Fieldhouse on the campus of East Stroudsburg.