SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg men's basketball team shook off early foul trouble with an impressive second half Tuesday to beat Millersville, 96-75, in the Raiders' Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East home opener at Heiges Field House.
 
The Raiders (11-0, 7-0 PSAC), which were ranked No. 14 in the latest NABC poll released Tuesday, remained one of eight unbeaten teams in all of Division II men's hoops with the victory, continuing the best start in school history.
 
Junior Dustin Sleva had a fantastic overall line with 18 points, 12 rebounds while tying a career high with seven assists in just 27 minutes. Junior Justin McCarthur led SU with 19 points, including five three-pointers in the second half, and added five assists.
 
Senior Abe Massaley and freshman John Castello each added 13 points to the SU cause while sophomore Antonio Kellem scored 12.
 
Things didn't come easy for SU in the first half as the team was hampered with foul trouble. Castello was affected most as he picked up two fouls in a span of three minutes to begin the game and sat for the remainder of the first half. Sleva played just nine minutes before picking up his second personal while Kellem and McCarthur joined the big men on the bench for the final five minutes of the first half.
 
The Raiders battled to keep a lead heading into halftime by making 13-of-14 free throws in the first half and limiting Millersville to 40 percent shooting. The tide of the game changed quickly in the second half as SU's starters blitzed the Marauders with a 32-13 run within the first eight minutes of the second half to open up a 72-50 lead with 12:07 to go.
 
SU finished the second half making 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from the field, which allowed the Raiders to absorb a 12-0 Millersville run led by Cornell Yarde II (20 points) that made it a 10-point game with 8:22 remaining. SU finished the game on a 21-11 run.
 
With the victory, Shippensburg head coach Chris Fite is now 47-46 as the Raiders head coach, marking the first time as SU's head coach in which his career record is over .500. The Raiders lost 42 of their first 63 games under Fite, but since Dec. 16, 2015, SU is 26-4.
 
The Raiders will look to remain unbeaten when they host Bloomsburg Friday from Heiges Field House at 8 p.m.