Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team defeated East Stroudsburg 80-71 in a PSAC East matchup on Wednesday night inside Heiges Field House to clinch a PSAC playoff berth and earn its 15th consecutive home victory over ESU.

Shippensburg's (14-8, 8-4 PSAC East) 80 points were the second-most East Stroudsburg (13-10, 8-5) has given up this season as the Raiders avenged a 71-62 road loss at ESU last month that snapped SU's seven-game winning streak in the series.

Despite early foul trouble for sophomore Stephanie Knauer and freshman Morgan Griffith – Knauer had five points in just four minutes and Griffith was limited to zero points in eight minutes in the first half – the Raiders were able to stay competitive with solid guard play.

Senior Sarah Strybuc made two first-half three-pointers and scored 12 points to help give SU a 37-33 advantage at the half. She finished the game with 18 points, including a 4-of-7 mark from three-point range.

After exchanging early leads, the Raiders took the lead for good with 1:56 left in the first half as SU dominated the majority of the second period, leading by as many as 21 points with 4:30 left in the game.

Freshman Lauren Gold tied a career high with 24 points, including an 11-for-12 performance at the free-throw line.

Getting to the line was key for the Raiders as they went 27-of-33 (81.8 percent) for the game. They were particularly dominant at getting to the stripe in the second half, hitting 16-of-20 and limiting the Warriors to just 3-of-9 from the line.

Knauer ended with 15 points in 19 minutes while freshman Haley Scullion tied a career high with a team-high eight rebounds and added a team-high three assists.

With the win, the Raiders take over sole possession of third place in the PSAC East with four games remaining and will travel to first-place West Chester on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip from the newly renovated Hollinger Field House.