EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit Wednesday night by shooting 65.5 percent after halftime and using separate runs of 14-0 and 11-0 to stun first-place East Stroudsburg, 72-71, in a divisional showdown at Koehler Fieldhouse.
 
Shippensburg (12-8, 8-8 PSAC East) won its fourth straight divisional game for the first time since switching to the PSAC Eastern Division in the 2008-09 season, as the victory marks SU's first four-game winning streak in "countable" PSAC games since 2007.
 
The Raiders also won their fifth game of the season when trailing at the half and improved to 10-2 on the year when scoring 70 or more points. It was also SU's ninth game decided by five points or less, and the Raiders are 6-3 in such close contests.
 
Senior Dylan Edgar had zero points, zero shot attempts, one rebound and three fouls at halftime yet finished the game with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting, flummoxing the home-standing Warriors with his patented hook shot and a durable presence in the paint. He also tied his career high with four blocks.
 
Freshman Justin McCarthur provided what was arguably his best game of his young and blossoming career. Playing all 40 minutes, he scored 19 points – three off his career high – and made three of SU's four three-pointers.
 
But it was McCarthur's balanced game and poised presence on the floor that was evident through a career-high eight assists (six coming in the second half) and two other totals that matched career highs: seven rebounds and three steals.
 
East Stroudsburg (14-7, 12-5) built a 16-point lead, 47-31, with 17:39 to play after a lay-up by Matt Tobin. The Raiders responded with 14 straight points in four minutes, including seven by Edgar, to make it a two-point game. SU would tie the score twice but later fall behind by seven points, 68-61, with 5:26 remaining.
 
Undaunted, the Raiders limited ESU – the league's No. 1 scoring offense – to 0-of-8 shooting down the stretch while embarking upon its decisive 11-0 run. Edgar scored the last of his 21 points at the 4:59 mark before McCarthur hit a pair of free throws and junior A.J. Maun made a lay-up to create a two-point game with 2:59 to go.
 
McCarthur hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 2:15 to play, putting SU up 70-68. That field goal proved to be the only scoring by either team until McCarthur was fouled with nine seconds to go after rebounding a Whis Grant miss. McCarthur hit both free throws, leaving Jamal Nwaniemeka's last-second three-pointer a moot point.
 
Shippensburg won Wednesday despite committing 23 turnovers and East Stroudsburg having just six. SU had an out-standing 42-26 rebounding advantage but attempted 20 less field goals than ESU. The Raiders finished 57 percent from the field to improve to second in the PSAC in shooting (47.8 percent).
 
Freshman Dustin Sleva had eight points, five rebounds and five assists while fellow freshman Trent Bauer surpassed his career high with seven points, all of which came in the first half.  
 
Shippensburg continues its road trip Saturday at 3 p.m. with a matchup against West Chester at Hollinger Field House.