Women's Preview and Notes

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University basketball teams will compete this Saturday and Sunday in the first of two conference mandated crossover weekends. The Raiders will host Mercyhurst on Saturday and Slippery Rock on Sunday in contests that are scheduled to begin at 1 and 3 p.m.

The Shippensburg men's team is 7-2 this season, the best start since 2005-06, but ironically that record is the worst of the three men's teams to compete inside Heiges Field House this weekend. Saturday's opponent Mercyhurst is 9-0 while Slippery Rock enters its game on Saturday against Cheyney at 8-1.

Both games this weekend will have live stats running on the Shippensburg University athletics Web site. The direct link is available here.

TEAM CAPSULE NOTES:

SHIPPENSBURG (7-2)

Last Games For Shippensburg

The Shippensburg men's basketball team shot 53 percent from the field in the first half on Monday night from the Hammermill Center as the Raiders earned a 69-50 victory over Seton Hill in the semifinals of the 35th annual Porreco Cup hosted by Gannon University.

Shippensburg matched its best start to a season since the 2005-06 campaign with excellent ball movement and high-percentage field goal attempts on Monday night, exuding hustle at all ends of the court.

The hot hand against the Griffins was junior Stephon Draper, whose explosive first half featured 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting, three 3-pointers, three free throws, three assists, two steals and one leap over the scorer's table.
 
On Tuesday, the men faced the No. 4 team in the nation in the finals of the Porreco Cup but could not stave off the homestanding Golden Knights, dropping a 76-45 decision to Gannon. SU (7-2) fell victim to a fast-paced attack by Gannon, who forced 25 turnovers and translated that into 28 points. Draper was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 33 points in two games.

Return of the Defense

Shippensburg's vaunted defensive pressure has returned this season, holding opponents around the 40 percent mark this season from the field. The team has not allowed more than 78 points in any game this season.

Opponents are having a difficult time getting good looks from distance. Shippensburg is allowing the opposition to shoot just 29.9 percent from three-point range this season.

Great Start to the Season

The Red Raider basketball team is off to its best start since the 2005-06 season, when Shippensburg raced out to a 7-2 record. That season, SU advanced to the finals of the PSAC Tournament and also earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Springer to Be Honored

With a 76-75 victory over Lock Haven on December 20, bench boss Dave Springer earned his 100th head coaching victory at Shippensburg University. He will be honored in a ceremony before Saturday's game against Mercyhurst.

MERCYHURST (4-5)
 
Last Games For Mercyhurst

On December 16, the Mercyhurst men's basketball team stormed out to a 41-17 halftime lead, but the Lakers had their lead trimmed significantly in the second half before pulling away for a 72-58 win over visiting Urbana.

The Blue Knights scored the first six points of the game during the opening two minutes. The Lakers quickly erased the deficit, going on a 24-1 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 24-7 lead. The closest Urbana got during the rest of the half was 15 points, at 29-14 with 3:52 remaining in the opening session. A 12-3 Laker run put the home team ahead 41-17 at intermission.

The Lakers placed two players in double-figures in the first half, as Stu Anglum scored 11 points and Elliot Engelmann added 10. Both players pulled down five boards in the half. Mercyhurst shot 53.6 percent from the field in the first half, while Urbana shot just 25 percent.

Seeking History

With its win over Urbana, Mercyhurst has tied the school record, set in 1977-78, with a 9-0 start to the season. The 1977-78 team went 26-3 and advanced to the NAIA national tournament.

Strong Defense

Mercyhurst ranks third in the PSAC in scoring defense, allowing just 59.7 points per game through its nine victories this season. Opponents are shooting just 38 percent against the Lakers, resulting in a positive scoring margin of 18.2 points that ranks fifth in the conference.

SLIPPERY ROCK (8-1)

Last Game For Slippery Rock

On December 17, senior guard Erroll Robinson scored a team-high 17 points to lead The Rock to an 82-62 win over Davis & Elkins in second-day action of the Indiana Regional Medical Center Holiday Classic hosted by Indiana (Pa.) University.

Senior point guard Kyle Camper added 15 points and nine assists as The Rock improved its season record to 8-1. Sophomore guard Bryen Spriggs chipped in 12 points, while senior wing player Jamar Scales grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

The Rock outscored Davis & Elkins (2-6) by a 14-5 margin in the final five and a half minutes of the first half to take a 41-32 lead into intermission and never looked back. The largest lead of the night was a 28-point, 79-51, advantage with five minutes left to play.

SRU held a slim 37-33 advantage in rebounding and shot 46.2% (29 of 63) from the field, 40.6% (13 of 32) from 3-point range and 73.3% (11 of 15) from the foul line.

The Difference a Year Makes

Last season, Slippery Rock finished 7-20. Interim head coach Jamal Palmer was dismissed this off-season, and new head coach Kevin Reynolds has guided the team to an 8-1 record through nine games. The team is off to its best start since 1963-64, when a Hank Baierl-coached squad won its first nine games en route to a 16-4 final record.

Scoring In Bunches

Slippery Rock has scored in triple digits five times this season, including a 101-94 home victory over Ashland on November 25. The record for triple-digit scoring games for one season is 15, set during the 1990-91 campaign.

The Rock is averaging 96.2 points per game and has scored at least 80 points in seven of their nine games. The only loss this season came to Mansfield, who defeated Slippery Rock on a neutral site by a 78-65 margin.

Assist-to-Turnover Ratio

The Rock has compiled a ridiculously effective assist-to-turnover ratio this season. Entering the Saturday game against Cheyney, Slippery Rock had compiled 217 assists to 129 turnovers, while guard Kyle Camper leads the nation in assists per game with 113 assists through nine games.

Eclectic Roster

Kevin Reynolds' roster is made up of players from all over the country. Of the new starters this season, Denell Stephens transferred from Angelo State, Michael Evans Jr. came from Morehead State by way of Daytona Beach Community College, Maron Brown arrived from Cecil Community College in Maryland, Maurice Douglas is from the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland and Kyle Camper is a graduate student who last played for Iona.

Stephens, Brown and Camper have all spent time at Cecil Community College playing for legendary junior college coach Bill Lewit. Of the reserves new to the roster, Bryen Spriggs is a transfer from Tusculum College in Tennessee. Just five players have returned from last year's team.