Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Freshman Joe Lococo led all scorers with 20 points on Saturday afternoon with none bigger than his final basket – a go-ahead jumper with 12 seconds left that lifted the Shippensburg University men's basketball team to a thrilling 79-76 win over Mansfield from Heiges Field House for the Raiders' second consecutive PSAC East victory this week.

All five Raider (4-11, 2-9 PSAC) starters scored in double figures, led by Lococo's 7-of-12 shooting effort that included 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore Reggie Charles shot 6-of-8 from the floor to finish with 16 points while leading all players with six assists. SU's balanced attack was aided by a season-low 10 committed turnovers.

Sophomore Akil Anderson added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with five rebounds, junior Dylan Edgar scored 13 points and sophomore Sam Pygatt poured in 11 points, collected a career-high seven rebounds and swiped three steals.

Mansfield (5-10, 4-7) led throughout the majority of the first half and eventually opened up a 29-17 lead with just under six minutes left in the half. The Raiders then took control of the game with a dominant 21-4 run – sparked by back-to-back dunks from Pygatt and Charles – that closed out the half and gave SU a 38-33 intermission lead.

Shippensburg extended the lead to as many as 10 points in the early stages of the second half and held tightly onto the lead for the majority of the half – twice watching it dwindle down to one point – before Mansfield fought back in the final five minutes.

The Mountaineers used a 6-0 run to grab a 71-67 lead with 3:35 left before Shippensburg responded with seven consecutive points of its own – a Lococo three-point play followed by Anderson and Charles layups on subsequent possessions – to go ahead 74-71 with 1:48 left. Mansfield's Charles Becoats sank a tying three-pointer the next time down the court before Edgar gave the Raiders the lead right back with a dunk with just over a minute on the clock.

Two Mansfield free throws again knotted the game at 76-76 with 38 seconds left, setting up Lococo's game-winner on the next SU possession. Shippensburg then forced a missed Becoats jumper and a missed put-back attempt from Chuck Harper that Pygatt collected before being fouled and sent to the line with just 0.5 seconds on the clock.

The Raiders return to the court on Wednesday with an 8 p.m. matchup against West Chester from Heiges Field House.