SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team used a 23-point fourth quarter and forced 31 turnovers in its 2016-17 season opener on Friday night to put away visiting Virginia-Wise, 63-41, in the 2016 Wolf's Bus Lines Classic held inside Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (1-0) held a 25-18 halftime lead and had seniors
Lauren Gold and
Logan Snyder contribute 23 of those 25 first-half points. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening 20 minutes, as SU and UVA-Wise (0-1) each shot just 26 percent in the first half.
SU built its early advantage by capitalizing on turnovers, scoring 16 of its 25 first-half points as a direct result of Cavalier giveaways. For the game, the Raiders scored 27 points off turnovers.
The game remained close as Shippensburg's post players were all hampered with first-half foul trouble. SU extended its advantage to 12 points after three quarters, and then opened the final quarter on a 12-5 run to pull away.
Gold finished with 20 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Gold added six steals and an assist. She enters Saturday just six points shy of becoming the 21st player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
Snyder totaled 10 points, six assists and six rebounds in a balanced, strong effort. Senior
Morgan Griffith managed 12 points, and seven rebounds despite her early foul trouble. Senior
Colleen Young had four points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Off the bench, junior
Victoria Blackburn had an impressive performance with 11 points, three rebounds and steals while shooting 4-of-8 from the field. Graduate
Stephanie Knauer, in her first game back, totaled six points and five rebounds.
Shippensburg will host Bowie State at 6 p.m. Saturday from Heiges Field House in the seventh game of the 2016 Wolf's Bus Lines Classic. The Bulldogs posted an impressive victory over IUP on Friday, 59-45, in the first game of the tournament.
