LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team used a strong first half and quality free-throw shooting Wednesday to knock off Lock Haven, 96-84, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division contest at Thomas Fieldhouse.
 
The win for Shippensburg (11-5, 8-4 PSAC) is its sixth in a row and its seventh consecutive in conference play.
 
The Raiders never trailed and raced out to a 13-point halftime lead before pushing its second half lead to as many as 19 points.
 
Lock Haven (10-6, 6-6) did counter with an 8-0 run to make it an 11-point game. However, the Bald Eagles were able to come only as close as nine points in the second half, as SU used timely stops plus consistent and volume foul shooting.
 
Shippensburg's 96 points are its most in a road game since a 98-95 overtime win at East Stroudsburg on Dec. 6, 2002. It is the seventh time in the last five seasons that the Raiders have posted 90 or more points in a game, including the fourth time under third-year head coach Chris Fite.
 
SU finished 37-of-44 from the free throw line, as there were more than 30 combined fouls in the second half alone. It is the most free throws made and attempted by an SU team in more than 20 years.
 
It is the second-most free throws made by a PSAC team this season (Edinboro made 39-of-47 vs. Gannon) and the 12th-most nationally by a team in the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Senior Tony Ellis and freshman Antonio Kellem shouldered the scoring load for SU, each pouring in 20 points.
 
The 20 points were season-highs for both, and as a result a career high for Kellem. Both were efficient from the floor as Ellis made 8-of-12 field goal attempts and Kellem knocked down 8-of-10, including 2-of-2 from 3-point land.
 
Ellis added eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals to his total while Kellem grabbed five boards and had two assists.
 
Junior Abe Massaley scored 14 points, dished out a game-high six assists and grabbed four rebounds. Sophomore Justin McCarthur continued his scoring surge with 12 points, including 6-of-6 shooting from the foul line.
 
The Raiders finished shooting 51 percent from the field and 50 percent (7-of-14) on 3-pointers. It is the second time this season that SU has scored 90-plus points. The Raiders also improved to 11-0 when scoring more than 70 points this season.
 
Shippensburg returns home at 3 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Cheyney from Heiges Field House.