The No. 19-ranked Shippensburg University men's basketball team fell in the final seconds on the road at Wilmington (Del.) on Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 73-71 decision to the Wildcats in a non-conference matchup at the WU Athletics Complex in Newark, Del.
 
Shippensburg (3-2) rallied from a 14-point deficit with 18 minutes remaining to build a nine-point lead with 6:50 remaining. In total, it was a 35-12 run by the Raiders in a 13-minute stretch of play.
 
Wilmington (3-2), however, closed the game on a 16-5 run. WU hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 3.6 seconds remaining that put the Wildcats up 73-71.
 
On the ensuing in-bounds play, senior Clay Conner received the ball and got to midcourt. There, Conner evaded a defender and threw a pass over to junior Antonio Kellem, who hit a three-pointer, but the shot was deemed to have been released just after the final horn sounded.
 
SU trailed at the half, 39-31. Wilmington scored 11 points off 10 SU turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of play, and also shot 55 percent from the field in that same span.
 
The Raiders erupted for their offensive blitz early in the second half, making four consecutive three-pointers in four possessions at one point. SU's counter began with a 16-6 run that got the Raiders within four points, 51-47, with 12:54 remaining. It continued with a 19-6 run over the next six minutes, which gave SU a 66-57 lead with 6:50 to play.
 
Senior Dustin Sleva posted his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Sleva was 8-of-18, including 4-of-10 from three-point range, and had three assists.
 
Sophomore John Castello had his best offensive performance of the young season, scoring 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Castello also finished with eight rebounds.
 
Senior Justin McCarthur was the third and final Raider in double figures, scoring 16 points while making 5-of-7 three-pointers. McCarthur added four assists and three rebounds. Conner had nine points and five assists. Kellem had seven points, seven rebounds and two assists.
 
Wilmington got a game-high 21 points from Danny Walsh, including the game-winning three-pointer. Walsh was 9-of-12 from the field, had five steals, and did not commit a turnover in 31 minutes of action. Jermaine Head added 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds, while Shawn Church had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
 
Shippensburg returns to action next Tuesday, when the Raiders travel to Philadelphia for a 7 p.m. matchup at Chestnut Hill.