Box Score

INDIANA, Pa. - The Shippensburg women's basketball team got within one possession in the final minutes of its contest against the No. 11-ranked Crimson Hawks of Indiana (Pa.) University on Saturday afternoon from Memorial Field House but could not record an upset victory, dropping a 65-55 decision despite improved play on the court.

Shippensburg (6-6) has struggled in its last couple of games but put forth an extremely solid team effort on Saturday against a difficult regional opponent. The Lady Raiders were just the third opponent this season to commit less than 20 turnovers against the Crimson Hawks, who remained undefeated at home.

Sophomore forward Kasey Gardner hit some clutch three-pointers and led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 12 points, while senior guard Elise Mercer contributed 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Junior forward Lauren Beckley put forth another solid performance and narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds to go along with three blocks and two assists. Freshman Beth Hart had another outstanding performance off the bench with seven points, four rebounds and one block in 10 minutes.

IUP (10-2) received another outstanding performance from senior Jahzinga Tracey, who racked up 29 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 13-of-15 from the field. Senior Kylie Miller added 16 points and five assists, while senior post player Staci Heberling added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

With 4:29 to play, Gardner hit a three-pointer that brought Shippensburg within three points of IUP, 51-48. At the 3:09 mark, Hart countered a bucket from Tracey with an open layup off an assist from Mercer to bring the score to 53-50.

Tracey converted a jumper at the other end to extend the lead to five points, but the Lady Raiders followed with a turnover on their next possession that allowed IUP to extend the game to a three-possession contest. The IUP senior hit three straight shots in the final minutes that extended the Crimson Hawk lead to nine points with 1:04 to go.

Shippensburg will face its second consecutive ranked opponent on Sunday when the team travels to take on the No. 8 California (Pa.) Vulcans from Hamer Hall. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Shippensburg University radio station WSYC-FM (88.7) and online at http://wsyc.org.

Notes: Shippensburg swept IUP in the regular season last year, earning an 88-75 victory over the Crimson Hawks at Memorial Field House on January 30 and then defeating the Crimson Hawks at home in the last game of the regular season, 77-50... IUP defeated Shippensburg in the PSAC Quarterfinals last season, 55-48 from Memorial Field House.