The Shippensburg men's basketball team led at halftime Sunday but couldn't hold on in a 70-67 loss at Gannon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover game at the Hammermill Center in Erie.
 
Shippensburg (3-2, 1-2 PSAC) led 35-29 at the break, but the Golden Knights (1-2, 1-2) outscored SU 41-32 in the final 20 minutes to win their first game of the season.
 
The Raiders trailed by six with 1:24 to go, but junior Abe Massaley made a layup then added a steal and another layup 22 seconds later to bring SU within two at 69-67.
 
On the ensuing Gannon possession, the Raiders forced a missed jump shot at the end of the shot clock, but could not secure the offensive rebound. SU fouled and Gannon made 1-of-2 from the free throw line, affording the Raiders a chance to tie game with a three-pointer.
 
Massaley tried to draw a foul as he got his defender in the air, but the whistles stayed silent as Massaley lost the ball and time expired.
 
However, Massaley continued his splendid start to the season with a team-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go along with three assists.
 
Sophomore Dustin Sleva came close to another double-double as he scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The smooth-shooting forward was 3-of-7 from downtown.
 
Sleva and freshman Antonio Kellem both played a team-high 36 minutes Sunday. Kellem scored 13 points and had four rebounds.
 
Senior Jay Hardy checked in with nine points, making 3-of-8 three-point attempts. Shippensburg was 9-of-22 as a team from deep.
 
The loss was especially tough to take for SU as the Raiders held the lead for more than 29 of 40 minutes. The Raiders last led when it was 60-58 at the 4:31 mark in the second half.
 
The Golden Knights struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 40.7 percent, but responded by making 51.7 percent of their field goals in the second half comeback.
 
The Raiders are back in action next Sunday when they travel to Wilmington (Del.) for a 2 p.m. start.