Box Score

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg men's basketball team overcame an 11-point first-half deficit and survived a nail-biter with Chestnut Hill at the 44th annual East Stroudsburg Classic in a 66-62 victory over the Griffins on Friday from Koehler Fieldhouse.

Red-shirt junior center Derrick Graff, the reigning PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Week, recorded his third consecutive double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  He also converted 9-of-16 attempts at the free-throw line - the biggest coming with nine seconds left to make it a two-possession game.

Shippensburg (5-0) held a 34-30 lead at halftime and never led by more than five points in the final 14 minutes of the game, even relinquishing the lead briefly with under seven minutes to play. The Raider survived with a stingy defense that prevented the Griffins without a field goal over the final four minutes of the game. 

Chestnut Hill (0-6) raced out to a blistering offensive start by making five of its first seven shots and scoring 14 points over the first six minutes of the game. The Griffins held an 11-point lead with 9:39 to play in the first half, but the Raiders embarked upon a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to take a three-point lead at the 4:52 mark.

Junior Stephon Draper led Shippensburg with 19 points and made all seven of his free-throw attempts in the contest. Red-shirt freshman Lamar Drayton had a solid game off the bench, contributing 13 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action.

Junior Brian Oleksiak delivered six points and eight rebounds for the Raiders, while freshman Craig Van Scyoc drained two 3-pointers in the first half, with the second capping off the team's 14-0 run. 

Shippensburg will return to action tomorrow at the East Stroudsburg Classic with a 3 p.m. contest against Queens (N.Y.) College from Koehler Fieldhouse on the campus of East Stroudsburg. Head coach Dave Springer will be vying for his 100th victory with the Red Raiders.