SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team opened the second half Tuesday night on a 21-6 run to surge past visiting Wilmington (Del.), defeating the Wildcats by a 76-59 score in a non-conference matchup from Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (4-0) avenged a loss last season at Wilmington (1-3) with Tuesday's win, a performance that featured a sizable edge in rebounding (49-30) and a second-half defensive performance that limited the Wildcats to 32-percent shooting and just 23 points after halftime. The Raiders totaled 16 offensive rebounds, scored 16 second-chance points and produced 44 points in the paint.
Senior
Antonio Kellem led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting; he added five rebounds and three assists without committing a turnover in 31 minutes of play. Sophomore
Jake Biss contributed 11 points – including a running three-pointer at the first-half horn that gave SU a 38-36 halftime lead.
SU got 19 points from its bench – highlighted by the first career double-double for redshirt-freshman
Dom Sleva. In 23 minutes, Sleva scored 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and led all players with 13 rebounds. Junior
Daylon Carter also represented the 412 area code off the bench with six points and three rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting.
After being held scoreless in the first half, junior
John Castello finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Five of his nine rebounds were on the offensive glass. Redshirt-senior
Manny Span asserted himself well once again at the forward spot, compiling six points and three rebounds.
Junior
Lamar Talley notched seven points and five rebounds, while freshman
Carlos Carter delivered two points and four rebounds.
Wilmington shot 47 percent (7-of-15) from three-point range in the first half but could not maintain that pace in the second half, making just 1-of-14 attempts from distance after halftime. The Wildcats also got to the free-throw line just three times in Tuesday's game, as the Raiders committed just two fouls in the first 28 minutes of play and eight overall.
Danny Walsh paced the visitors with 16 points, making 4-of-8 from three-point range. Jermaine Head had eight points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
UP NEXT: Sunday, 3 p.m. at California (Pa.).
