Box Score

The Shippensburg University men's basketball team maintained a late lead Saturday afternoon by sinking 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to secure its first victory of the season, a 70-64 triumph over Chestnut Hill in a non-conference tilt from Sorgenti Arena in Philadelphia.

Shippensburg (1-4) got 27 points from sophomore Joe Lococo, who led all scorers in Saturday's game. Lococo has posted double figures in four of SU's five games this season and ranks eighth in the PSAC with 17.8 points per game.

The victory was also the first for SU head coach Chris Fite, who is in his first year at the helm of the Raider program after spending nine years as an assistant coach with IUP, Rochester and Saint Vincent.

The Raiders led by 15 points, 26-11, with 8:12 to go in the first half before Chestnut Hill (1-6) closed the opening frame on a 20-9 run to trail by just four points at the intermission.

After sophomore Jay Hardy hit a three-pointer in the opening minute of the second half, the home-standing Griffins embarked upon a 15-5 run to lead 46-43 with 13 minutes remaining.

With seven minutes to go, Lococo converted an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the score at 52-52 and then hit a three-point shot on SU's next possession that put the Raiders back up by three. Shippensburg would not trail again for the remainder of the contest despite CHC getting within one possession on numerous occasions down the stretch.

Hardy earned his third straight start and scored 13 points for the second-straight game – including a dunk late in the contest. Both Lococo and Hardy were 3-of-3 from three-point range and the Raiders finished the game 7-of-9 from long range.

Junior Sam Pygatt scored nine points off the bench, finishing a perfect 4-of-4 from the field including a three-pointer. Freshman Abe Massaley had seven points and nine rebounds, while redshirt-freshman center Marcus Williams led all players with 10 rebounds.

Shippensburg matched its season high with 39 rebounds and limited the Griffins to 27, the lowest by a Raider opponent this season. SU was 21-of-28 (75.0 percent) at the free-throw line.

Shippensburg will host Bloomsburg at 3 p.m. Saturday in a PSAC contest at Heiges Field House.