SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team closed the first half Tuesday night on a 15-0 run to surge past a hard-working and competitive squad from nearby Wilson College, 92-66, in a non-conference matchup before the holiday break from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (8-2) led Wilson (6-4) by five points, 35-30, at the 4:00 media timeout of the first half. The Raiders then embarked on their 15-0 run to establish a 20-point halftime lead, shooting 56 percent from the field in the opening frame.
 
Senior All-American Dustin Sleva scored 25 of his game-high 31 points in the first half. Sleva finished 13-of-17 from the field and either led or tied for the team lead in all five major statistical categories. He grabbed 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double, handed out five assists, blocked three shots and had two steals. It is the third time this year he has scored 30 or more points in a game.
 
Junior Antonio Kellem made the most of his time on the court, scoring 17 points in 18 minutes of action. Kellem was 7-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, and had two assists.
 
Freshman guard Jake Biss scored 10 points – his third double-digit scoring effort of the year – to go along with a career-high six rebounds. Senior guard Clay Conner had seven points and four assists.
 
In the post, junior Joe Marshall scored 10 points – his most as a Raider – on 4-of-6 shooting. Sophomore John Castello had seven points, including a dunk, and matched a season high with 10 rebounds.
 
Sophomore swingman Lamar Talley earned his first start of the year and provided four points and two outstanding blocks. Fellow sophomore Broguen Nicholas had a strong performance off the bench and was assertive as a distributor – matching his career high with four assists.
 
Redshirt-freshman Ja'Tear Gardner scored his first collegiate points with a layup that capped off the SU scoring. Sophomore Na'Quan Council added four points off the bench, and redshirt-freshman Derek Ford had two assists.
 
Wilson stayed in the game with hot shooting from distance, making 11-of-24 (46 percent) from three-point range in the contest. Keion Adams had 16 points and nine rebounds, making four three-pointers, while Zachary Powell had 15 points and three three-pointers. The starters for the Phoenix scored 64 of their 66 points on the night.
 
Shippensburg now heads into the NCAA Holiday Break, and returns to action in Erie on Saturday, Dec. 30 against Mercyhurst.