SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team concluded its regular season Wednesday night by clinching a playoff spot, defeating Cheyney, 76-53, on Senior Night inside Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (13-13, 9-13 PSAC) needed a victory and a Mansfield loss to reach the postseason and got just that. The Raiders will travel to Kutztown on Saturday for a 3 p.m. game with the Golden Bears.
 
The Raiders fell behind early in the first half when Cheyney (2-25, 1-21 PSAC) took a three-point lead, but the Raiders countered with a 15-0 run that spanned more than eight minutes to take a 12-point lead, 24-12. SU never looked back, extending its lead to as many as 31 points, 67-36, with less than seven minutes to play. 
 
Shippensburg's defense was key on Wednesday night. SU tied a season high with 12 blocks, as freshman Trent Bauer led the Raiders with a career-high four blocks.
 
The Raiders held the Wolves to 30.8 percent shooting from the field – including a season-low 17.9 percent efficiency from three-point range. Cheyney did not have a double-digit scorer, as Khalil Meadows led the visitors with nine points on 4-for-12 shooting.
 
SU also held Cheyney's Kevin Larkin, the PSAC's third-leading scorer, to a career-low seven points. Larkin entered Wednesday averaging 18.3 points per game.
 
The victory marked the first time SU has swept Cheyney since it was moved to the PSAC Eastern Division in the 2008-09 season.
 
Senior Dylan Edgar notched his PSAC-leading 11th double-double of the year, recording 14 points and 12 rebounds in his final home game. SU's only other senior, Sam Pygatt, is injured and was unable to play.
 
Junior Tony Ellis contributed valuable minutes off the bench, notching a season-high 16 points on 6-of-8 from the field including 4-of-7 from the free-throw line. Ellis finished with a career-high three blocks.  
 
Freshman Justin McCarthur finished with 13 points and tied a season high with seven rebounds. Sophomore Keelan Adams scored a season-high seven points, including an electrifying put-back dunk in the second half.
 
Jay Hardy and Dustin Sleva each scored eight points, while sophomore point guard Abe Massaley contributed six points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
More information about Saturday's game will be available in the coming days at shipraiders.com.