SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The No. 9 Shippensburg men's basketball team battled back from a double-digit second-half deficit Wednesday, but couldn't fully complete the comeback in an 81-75 loss to No. 10 Kutztown in an intense Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game at Heiges Field House.
SU (18-2, 14-2 PSAC) struggled to sustain any momentum as Kutztown led by as many as 17 points when the Golden Bears' Josh Johnson put home a dunk with 11:35 remaining in the game. The Raiders slowly chipped away at the Kutztown lead, eventually cutting the deficit to three points on two separate occasions – at the 2:36 mark and the 1:59 mark – but could not come any closer.
Leading the charge for SU was junior
Dustin Sleva, who shined again Wednesday, tying his career high with 28 points – the same mark he had against Kutztown in the two teams' first meeting this season. The Raiders' forward finished 8-of-16 from the field while making 10-of-12 free throw attempts.
Senior
Abe Massaley finished with 17 points and four assists to help the SU cause while junior
Clay Conner added a season-high 10 points off the bench. Freshman
John Castello had six points and 10 rebounds.
The Raiders trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but were able to bring it within seven at halftime as fouls played a big part in the game with SU's Sleva, Massaley and Castello all missing time in the first 20 minutes with two fouls. Meanwhile, Kutztown's Johnson entered halftime with three fouls, including a technical he earned in double-technical with Massaley, while KU point guard Ethan Ridgeway was also assessed a technical that gave SU an extra two free throws.
Other than the technical, Ridgeway was outstanding, totaling 20 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Kutztown was also anchored by 18 points and eight rebounds from Dan Cuevas.
SU again struggled from beyond the arc Wednesday. The Raiders, which still lead the PSAC in three-pointers made per game, finished 6-of-27 on three-pointers Wednesday and now are 12-of-53 (22.6 percent) from deep in their last two games – both losses. Wednesday marked the first time in almost exactly a year that SU has lost back-to-back games (the Raiders dropped games on Jan. 27 and Jan. 30 of 2016).
The Raiders will try to bounce back Saturday when they travel to Bloomsburg to take on the Huskies beginning at 3 p.m. from Nelson Field House.
