SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Junior
Dustin Sleva had an impressive double-double of 24 points and 17 rebounds on Friday night in the season opener and senior
Abe Massaley became the 29th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points, as the Shippensburg men's basketball team used a second-half surge to roar past Penn State Wilkes-Barre, 94-72, in the 2016 Wolf's Bus Lines Classic inside Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (1-0) led just 42-36 at halftime, as Wilkes-Barre (2-1) rode the efforts of Colton Lewis (22 points) and Christopher Cantine (18 points) to hang close with the Raiders. SU opened the second half on a 15-2 run to take control, eventually leading by as many as 27 points down the stretch.
Sleva was a force to be reckoned with Friday night, shooting 10-of-17 from the field (including 3-of-6 from three-point range) while dropping a pair of dunks, grabbing three steals and handing out two assists in 31 minutes.
Massaley scored 12 points – putting him up to 1,001 for his career, and making him the first Raider to achieve four figures in scoring since Dylan Edgar did so back in 2015. He also had five rebounds and four assists on the night.
Sophomore
Antonio Kellem had an incredibly efficient 23 minutes on the floor, scoring 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds. Junior
Clay Conner earned the start and had eight points and four assists.
Junior
Justin McCarthur had eight second-half points, while freshman
John Castello provided six points, six rebounds and three assists in his debut. Castello was one of numerous Raiders to score in their debuts, as all 12 Raider who saw the floor Friday night got at least one point.
Senior
Chris Nwandu matched his scoring output of last season in one night – providing a strong 18 minutes off the bench in which he totaled eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, and 2-of-3 at the free-throw line. Nwandu also had two steals and a rebound.
Shippensburg concludes the 2016 Wolf's Bus Lines Classic at 8 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Penn State Fayette from Heiges Field House.
