Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team raced out to a 14-0 lead on Saturday afternoon from Heiges Field House and never looked back, as senior forward Lauren Beckley and junior forward Kasey Gardner combined for 63 points in an 86-66 divisional win over East Stroudsburg.

Shippensburg (12-13, 5-4 PSAC East) stayed in a three-way tie for fourth place in the PSAC Eastern Division standings with Cheyney and West Chester. Bloomsburg has not missed a game due to weather and sit a half-game ahead of the pack in third place, while Kutztown has a one-game advantage sitting in second place.

The Lady Raiders eclipsed 80 points for the third time this season and totaled their highest score in a 59-game stretch dating back to Jan. 30, 2008, an 88-75 road victory over IUP. Saturday's victory also marked the first time under 11th-year head coach Kristy Trn that two players each scored 30 or more points in a game for the Lady Raiders.

In the team's 48-point first half, SU had assists on 11 of its 17 buckets and committed just five turnovers. Shippensburg, which led by as many as 31 points in the second half, totaled 23 assists to mark the second-straight game and the third out of the last five that the team has had at least 20 assists and posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.

Beckley scored seven of the team's first 14 points and had reached double figures with 11 minutes to play in the first half. She was firing all cylinders - swishing several fadeaway jumpers, driving to the hoop for layups and draining free throws throughout the contest. Beckley had 21 points by halftime and finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists.

The senior forward also crept even closer to the all-time PSAC record for points. After posting 30 or more points for the fourth time this season and the 17th time in her career, Beckley is now 26 points short of Valerie Walker's mark of 2,289 career points. Walker, a Cheyney alum, has held the mark since 1982.

Gardner, the team's leading scorer in conference play, followed up her sensational effort last weekend at Mansfield with a career-high 30 points, shooting 10-of-18 from the field and making 7-of-9 free-throw attempts. The dynamic junior forward added seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Through nine conference games, Gardner has shot 48.7 percent from the floor and averaged 21 points per contest.

Freshman guard Kerry Conroy was the team's leading rebounder on Saturday, grabbing nine boards while scoring eight points. She also added four assists and two steals before fouling out. Senior guard Sheila Wasser had three points, seven rebounds and three assists without committing a turnover. Sophomore guard Erin Varley also added six assists in 23 minutes off the bench.

SU also got 12 points from its post players. Freshman forward Isabel Scott made the start and has six points, two steals and a rebound. Sophomore center Jenn Morrow added four points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench while classmate Lindsay Howard had two points and two rebounds.

East Stroudsburg (3-18, 1-7 PSAC East), whose only divisional win came against Shippensburg on January 16, got a strong effort from senior guard Mel Villano. The Bethlehem native had a team-high 17 points along with six assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Shippensburg will hit the road to face No. 25 Millersville at 6 p.m. Monday from Pucillo Gymnasium. The game was rescheduled due to the snowfall in the region.

Notes: Beckley is two three-pointers short of Tracy Spencer's career mark of 246 trifectas…Beckley would rank fifth in PSAC history upon achieving the record…Beckley is two field goals short of moving into second place in SU history, surpassing Ashley Totedo (771)…Gardner moved into 14th place on SU's all-time scoring list, surpassing Emily Swingler '03…SU is now 7-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points and 15-1 over the last two seasons.