FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The No. 9 Shippensburg University men's basketball team used a three-point shooting barrage Saturday to roll past Virginia Union, 79-59, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Atlantic Regional inside Joe Retton Arena at the Feaster Center on the campus of Fairmont State University.
 
The win for SU (27-3) is the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history as the Raiders had gone 0-3 in two prior trips to the big dance. The Raiders, which are seeded second in the Atlantic Regional, will face sixth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit Sunday at 5 p.m. in the regional semifinals.
 
The Raiders broke the single-game school record for three-pointers Saturday with 18 makes from beyond the arc as all five starters made multiple triples. Pacing the Raiders was junior forward Dustin Sleva, who turned in his 20th double-double of the season with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Sleva made his first four three-point tries and finished 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
 
Joining Sleva with five three-pointers was junior Justin McCarthur, who scored all 15 of his points from deep to go along with four assists. Freshman John Castello was fantastic Saturday, totaling 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He made both of his three-point attempts.
 
SU picked up right where it left off when it won the PSAC Championship last Sunday as the Raiders started Saturday's game on an 18-3 run. A Castello layup with 2:26 remaining in the first half stretched the Raider lead to a first-half high of 19 points, but the Panthers closed the opening half with an 8-1 run to cut the lead to 12 at the break.
 
However, the Raiders began the second half on a 17-4 run and never led by less than 17 points for the remainder of the game.
 
Sophomore Antonio Kellem was the fourth Raider in double digits with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Senior Abe Massaley had eight points and a game-high six assists.
 
The Raiders set a new season high in assists with 25 of their 30 baskets coming off an assist. SU took a season-high 38 three-pointers and McCarthur attempted an individual season-high 15 triples.
 
SU's performance on the glass was especially important as Virginia Union entered the game outrebounding its opponents by almost eight boards per game. The Raiders not only outrebounded the Panthers 41-34, but SU also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds – the most by the Raiders in the last month of games. Sophomore forward Manny Span provided big minutes off the SU bench with six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.
 
SU's game tipped off almost 45 minutes after the scheduled start time as Wheeling Jesuit defeated third-seeded West Liberty, 96-95, in a wild overtime affair. The Raiders and Cardinals have not met since December 2, 1994 – a game SU won 91-84 at Heiges Field House. Wheeling Jesuit is currently 24-7 this season.