Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg men's basketball team survived a last-second shot by Denell Stephens to cap off the first PSAC Crossover weekend of the season by defeating Slippery Rock on Sunday afternoon in a highly competitive contest from Heiges Field House, 70-69.

Sunday's contest was a true barnburner, as neither team held a lead of more than seven points in the contest. During the second half, the largest lead for either squad was five points, and the lead changed hands 15 times during the game.

Shippensburg (8-3) led by four points, 67-63, at the 1:48 mark but had to survive a late flurry from Slippery Rock. A three-pointer from Kyle Camper trimmed the visitors' deficit to one point with 1:03 to play, and junior guard Stephon Draper was fouled and hit 1-of-2 from the line to bring the score to 70-68 with 1:00 to play.

Gary Satterwhite was sent to the line with 43 seconds left but hit just 1-of-2 free throws. Shippensburg held the ball down to the 16-second mark, but Draper missed a wild lay-up that set up Slippery Rock for the final shot.

With 10 seconds to go, Slippery Rock tried to find an open shot in the paint and finally got the ball to Stephens underneath the hoop. Strong defense from junior guard Brian Oleksiak forced Stephens to try a reverse lay-up that bounced off the glass, securing the victory for Shippensburg.  

Slippery Rock (8-3) overcame a two-point halftime deficit to take a three-point lead, 32-29, with 17:57 to play. After a free throw by red-shirt junior center Derrick Graff, red-shirt freshman guard Lamar Drayton stole the in-bounds pass and sunk a three-pointer to give the lead back to Shippensburg.

After Drayton's bucket, the lead went back and forth between the two teams throughout the second half. Shippensburg went up by five points with 11:44 to play, but a 7-1 run over the next 66 seconds from The Rock that included a thunderous dunk from Denell Stephens gave them the lead by one point, 46-45.

The lead changed hands seven times over the next six minutes of play. Neither team led by more than three points until the 4:20 mark, when a three-pointer by Camper gave The Rock a 62-58 lead.

Shippensburg promptly re-took the momentum on a 5-0 run that included a clutch three-pointer from sophomore guard Justin Minter as well as a lay-up and an uncanny assist from Oleksiak. The Raiders held a 63-62 lead at the 2:44 mark.

Shippensburg played excellent first half defense against a team that entered the contest averaging 93.5 points per game, holding The Rock to 25 points and a 27.8 field-goal percentage in the opening 20 minutes.

Both teams had major struggles from behind the three-point line. Shippensburg was 0-for-6 from distance in the first half and finished the game 3-of-14, while Slippery Rock was 2-of-14 in the first half and finished the game shooting 24 percent, making 6-of-25 attempts.

By contrast, both teams thrived with their post presences. Both teams flew through the air for second-chance opportunities, each recording 21 offensive rebounds, while the Raiders finished with 42 points in the paint.

Graff led the Raiders in scoring with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Draper added 13 points, four steals and three assists. Minter had 11 points and five rebounds, while graduate guard Ryan Kraft had nine points and nine rebounds.

For the visitors, Stephens had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Camper had 13 points and nine assists. Jamar Scales had 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Shippensburg will have a hard week of practice before a difficult weekend road trip with the second PSAC Crossover. On Saturday, the Raiders will travel to take on Indiana (Pa.) at 3 p.m. before taking on California (Pa.) on Sunday at 3 p.m.