SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Senior Kasey Gardner led all scorers with 24 points on Saturday afternoon from Heiges Field House as the Shippensburg women's basketball team used an outstanding defensive effort in the second half to cruise past Mansfield in a PSAC Eastern Division game, 74-43.

Shippensburg (8-8, 3-1 PSAC East) won its third straight divisional game and moved into a tie for first place in the league. SU limited the Mountaineers to 20 percent shooting from the field in the second half, scored 23 points overall off turnovers and finished the game with a season-high 15 steals.

Gardner, who leads the PSAC in scoring, had 13 points at halftime and totaled five field goals in each half. In addition to her 24 points and her tenacity on defense, Gardner had four steals and three rebounds. The senior forward reached double digits for the 20th consecutive game and is just five points short of passing current assistant coach Jen Grassel for seventh place on SU's all-time scoring list. SU is now 6-2 this season when Gardner scores at least 20 points in a game.

Sophomore guard Shawna Wert was stellar once again, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while making 9-of-10 at the free-throw line. The Lady Raiders, who entered the week ranked No. 2 in Division II for free-throw percentage, rebounded from a maudlin night at the line on Wednesday with an 18-of-20 (90 percent) effort on Saturday.

Junior Monae Baker was a big spark off the bench for Shippensburg, scoring eight points, grabbing eight rebounds and tying her career high with three steals in just 16 minutes of action. Baker was 4-of-8 from the floor and had five offensive boards.

Sophomore guard Dana Wert scored eight points and had five assists while committing just one turnover in 32 minutes. Wert finished 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and has made 29 consecutive attempts from the charity stripe. The school record for consecutive made free throws is 41, set last season by Lauren Beckley '10.

Junior Lindsay Howard had two points and four rebounds in the game, but it was her defense that stole the show – particularly in the second half. Howard finished with six blocked shots – the most by a Lady Raider in one game since Kim Strickland had seven against Mansfield on Dec. 21, 2005. SU had not recorded six blocks as a team since 2007.

Junior guard Erin Varley displayed her court smarts with five rebounds and two assists off the bench in 10 minutes.

Freshman Ashley Giedemann was a third player in double figures, scoring 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. It was her ninth game in double figures. Giedemann also grabbed five rebounds and had a steal.

Mansfield (6-10, 1-3 PSAC East) played tough in the first half and held a 21-20 lead with 7:15 to play before halftime. However, the Lady Raiders finished the frame on a 16-3 run and allowed just 19 points in the second half en route to the lopsided victory.

Shippensburg will host West Chester at 6 p.m. Wednesday from Heiges Field House. The Lady Raiders and the Golden Rams are among the four teams tied atop the PSAC Eastern Division, joining Millersville and Bloomsburg.

Notes: Saturday's game was the first win for Shippensburg this season when it made less than seven three pointers as a team…Mansfield's 43 points are a season-low for an SU opponent…SU is on its first three-game winning streak in conference play since the 2006-07 season.