Men's Basketball | 3/12/2017 10:00:00 AM
FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The No. 9 Shippensburg University men's basketball team is looking to build off its first-ever NCAA Tournament win when it faces Wheeling Jesuit at 5 p.m. Sunday in the semifinals of the NCAA Atlantic Regional at Fairmont State University.
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SU (27-3) is the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Regional and will be facing the sixth-seeded Cardinals following a wild victory for WJU over West Liberty Saturday. Wheeling's Preston Boswell banked in a three-pointer from the right wing with 5.4 seconds remaining in overtime. On the ensuing and final possession of the game, West Liberty's Zac Grossenbacher hit a contested double-pump three-pointer – also via the bank shot – at the buzzer, but the shot was ruled to have been too late following a video review by the officials, giving WJU a 96-95 victory.
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The Raiders had a much easier time Saturday, blitzing No. 7 seed Virginia Union with an 18-3 run to begin the game. Following a three-pointer to open the second half by
Antonio Kellem, SU led by at least 15 points for the remainder of the game in a 79-59 victory over the Panthers. SU made a single-game school-record 18 three-pointers.
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Sunday's matchup marks the first time in more than 22 years that the Shippensburg and Wheeling Jesuit have faced one another. Their last meeting was Dec. 2, 1994 – a 91-84 victory for the Raiders.
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The pace of Sunday's game will be a factor to watch as the Cardinals score 88.1 points per game. The Raiders, which score 84.1 points per game will selectively run, but likely not at the pace Wheeling Jesuit did in its game with West Liberty Saturday. The Cardinals are a balanced unit with four players averaging at least 12 points per game. Leading the way is point guard Pat Moseh, who is scoring 16.2 points per game while also pacing WJU with 3.1 assists per game.
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Haywood Highsmith, who turned in a monster line of 23 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in 42 minutes Saturday, also averages more than 15 points per game. Boswell provides the scoring punch off the bench for WJU (13.2 points per game) while Kyle Ritz averages 12.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
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Following Saturday's action, there are 32 teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament – four in each region. If the Raiders win Sunday, they will have the day off Monday before Tuesday's regional final.
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