Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore Sarah Strybuc scored a career-high 21 points on Wednesday night but it was not enough as the Shippensburg University women's basketball team could not preserve a nine-point halftime lead and fell, 72-63, to PSAC East-leading Bloomsburg from Nelson Field House.

Shippensburg (11-10, 8-9 PSAC) led by as many as 11 in the first half, and a long three-pointer at the buzzer from junior Dana Wert gave SU a 44-33 advantage at halftime. But after shooting 52 percent from the field in the first half, the Raiders shot just 26 percent in the second period, as Bloomsburg (19-4, 13-4 PSAC) outscored SU 39-21 in the final frame.

Strybuc tied a career high by draining a game-high five three-pointers on 8-of-18 shooting from the field to go along with four points and four assists. Her 21 points led all scorers.

Senior Monae Baker recorded her eighth double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and collecting a game-high 13 rebounds. Baker is now just 11 points shy of 1,000 for her career.

Dana Wert was the third Raider to finish in double-figures, scoring 13 points in addition to four assists. Junior Shawna Wert also added four assists, as well as contributing seven points.

BU's Marla Simmons drained a three-pointer eight minutes into the game to cut an early SU six-point advantage to just three, 18-15. But from there, the Raiders used a 15-7 run almost entirely from Strybuc to grab an 11-point, 33-22 lead with 6:23 left in the first half. Strybuc drained three shots from beyond the arc and finished the six-minute sequence with 13 points.

Bloomsburg answered with an 11-4 run of its own to get within four, 37-33, with 38 seconds left in the half. Strybuc sank a running layup off the glass with 14 seconds left and a Bloomsburg offensive foul on the next possession allowed Dana Wert the three seconds she needed to dribble up court and sink the buzzer-beater, giving the Raiders a 42-33 halftime advantage.

The Huskies opened up the second half outscoring Shippensburg 24-5 – with BU scoring the final 16 points of the run, highlighted by a Dana Wieller three-pointer that gave Bloomsburg its first lead since an early 5-4 advantage – to take a commanding 10-point lead, 57-47, with 8:33 left in the game.

Bloomsburg would later get out front by as many as 12 points, as Shippensburg would get no closer than six, down 65-59 with 5:24 remaining.

At halftime, Shippensburg was honored with a Bloomsburg Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) sweatshirt as a token of Bloomsburg's appreciation for SU's $1,000 donation toward Bloomsburg's flooding relief efforts.

Shippensburg will travel to East Stroudsburg on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff against the Warriors. ESU lost to Mansfield 81-71 on Wednesday night, leaving the Raiders two games ahead of the Warriors for the fourth and final playoff spot in the PSAC East.