SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team absorbed a late run and countered with one of its own Wednesday to pull away in an 83-69 win over Lock Haven in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division contest at Heiges Field House.
                      
Shippensburg (17-8, 14-7 PSAC) opened up a 14-point lead with 12:21 remaining when Antonio Kellem finished a layup, but Lock Haven was able to find a groove. The Bald Eagles embarked on a 14-2 run over the next 4:40 to cut the Raiders' lead down to two.
 
The two teams went back and forth over the next few minutes and with 4:56 remaining, the Bald Eagles were still within three. SU responded by finishing the game on a 17-6 run behind 13 combined points by junior Abe Massaley and sophomore Justin McCarthur.
 
Sophomore Dustin Sleva led Shippensburg with a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Antonio Kellem secured his first career double-double by scoring 14 points and grabbing career-high 10 rebounds. Kellem also had four assists.
 
The Raiders struggled with turnovers, coughing it up 16 times – one shy of a season-most – but still sported a positive assist-to-turnover ratio with 18 helpers in the win. Leading the way was Massaley, who had seven assists, to go along with 14 points and five rebounds. Massaley is averaging 7.8 assists in his last five games.
 
McCarthur continued his second-half scoring surge of late by pouring in 10 of his 12 points in the final 20 minutes. The swingman also dished out four assists.
 
Redshirt-freshman Manny Span provided key minutes off the SU bench, making all four of his field goal attempts en route to eight points and five rebounds. Senior Tony Ellis scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds.
 
Overall, the Raiders shot 53.4 percent from the field, tying the second-best mark in a game this season by SU.
 
The win keeps SU within a half-game of Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg for third place in the PSAC East. The Huskies host Cheyney and the Warriors travel to Lock Haven Saturday.

SU is off Saturday before Bloomsburg comes to Shippensburg next Wednesday for the regular season finale. The third and fourth place finishers in the division will host a home game in the first round of the PSAC Tournament.
 
Next Wednesday's game against Bloomsburg is slated to start at 8 p.m. from Heiges Field House.