Box Score

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Senior Monae Baker scored a SU career-high 34 points on Wednesday night to propel the Shippensburg University women's basketball team to a 73-57 victory over Kutztown from Keystone Arena.

Shippensburg (10-9, 7-8 PSAC), which had alternated wins and losses in its last eight games, has now won back-to-back games for the first time since opening the season with three consecutive victories.

Baker went 13-of-22 and 8-of-11 from the free throw line to score the most points in a game by a Shippensburg player since Lauren Beckley scored 38 – also against Kutztown (6-15, 4-11) – nearly two years ago, on Feb. 20, 2010.

With a season-high 16 rebounds, Baker also registered her seventh double-double of the season. Her 16 boards are the most by a Raider since she pulled down 18 in last season's opener at Shepherd on Nov. 13, 2010.

Baker has now registered 20-point double-doubles in back-to-back games, and over the last three contests, is averaging 25.0 points and 10.3 rebounds.

Baker also added two steals and three blocks, which are the most by a Raider in a game this season. Sophomore Sarah Strybuc scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game, finishing with 15 points to go along with three assists and three steals. Strybuc has scored at least eight points in 10 straight games.

Junior Shawna Wert went 6-of-8 from the free throw line and scored 12 points in addition to a game-high four steals. Junior Dana Wert had a balanced game, contributing a game-high six assists as well as six points and seven rebounds.

The Raiders led for a majority of the first half and led by as many as 11 points, 27-16, with 4:14 left in the half. But the Golden Bears closed the half on an 11-2 run to close the SU margin to just 29-27 at the break. Baker nearly finished the first half with a double-double, heading into the locker room with 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Golden Bears began the second half just as quickly as they had ended the first, going on a 10-4 run to open up a four-point, 37-33 lead nearly four minutes into the period.

Over the next five minutes, however, SU would regroup, going on a 12-2 run to grab a 45-39 lead with a Baker layup at the 10:50 mark of the half.

Kutztown would chip the SU lead down to just one, 47-46, with a pair of KU free throws at the 8:39 mark, before Shippensburg again responded with five consecutive Baker points to go back up six.

A Kutztown layup on the next possession made it a four-point game, but that would be as close as the Golden Bears would get the rest of the way. Shippensburg would open up a 12-point lead at the 3:56 mark, and with under a minute left, free throws from Strybuc and Dana Wert – as well as another Baker layup – would extend the winning margin to a game-high 16 points.

With its 10th win of the season, SU is now above .500 for the first time in the New Year. The Raiders now hold a two-game advantage over East Stroudsburg for the final playoff spot in the PSAC Eastern Division after the Warriors defeated Cheyney on Wednesday night. Shippensburg also has a three-game edge over Kutztown and Mansfield.

Shippensburg will head home on Saturday to face Mansfield at 1 p.m. from Heiges Field House. The Raiders beat the Mounties earlier this season, 64-51, from Decker Gymnasium.

Notes: Baker's overall career high was set as a sophomore with UPJ...she scored 38 points in a win over West Liberty...Baker is now 41 points short of 1,000 for her career...Shawna Wert is now 101 points shy of 1,000 for her career.