SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The No. 25 Shippensburg University men's basketball team overcame a late charge from Mercyhurst on Saturday to win its third straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game, defeating the visiting Lakers 62-60 in a stout defensive clash from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (11-2, 5-1 PSAC) used a 21-5 run in the second half to flip a one-point deficit into a 15-point lead, 57-42, with 6:53 remaining. Mercyhurst (8-2, 3-2) immediately countered with a 15-3 run to get within three points, 60-57, with 86 seconds to play.
 
The Raiders had two chances in the final 28 seconds to extend a three-point lead at the free-throw line, but on each occasions missed the front end of a 1-and-1. With four seconds left, MU's Derrick Ellis was fouled and made the front end of a 1-and-1 at the free-throw line to make it 62-60.
 
SU then called its final timeout, and Ellis missed the second free throw. A put-back attempt by Patrick Smith bounced twice high off the back of the rim, and the resulting scrum for the rebound was sent beyond the three-point line. Nelson Maxwell eventually ended up with the ball for the Lakers, but time had expired before he could try a three-pointer.

Both teams performed admirably on the defensive end. SU forced Mercyhurst into 15 turnovers – including three shot-clock violations – and held the visitors to a season-low 60 points. The Lakers, meanwhile, defended the Raiders into a season-high 17 turnovers and forced Shippensburg into a negative assist-to-turnover ratio for the first time all season and just the sixth time in the last two years.
 
Offensively, junior Lamar Talley led the Raiders with a career-high 18 points – marking his second straight game with a career high in scoring. Talley made a career-high five three-pointers Saturday, shooting 5-of-9 from long range, and finished with a pair of steals.
 
Junior John Castello posted his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Castello was 6-of-11 from the field. Redshirt-senior Manny Span had six points and eight rebounds – Span's sixth and final offensive rebound ended with a put-back with 1:04 remaining that put the Raiders up by five points.
 
Sophomore Jake Biss scored 10 points and equaled a career high with eight assists – playing all 40 minutes. Senior Antonio Kellem added eight points, while redshirt-freshman Dom Sleva had four points. Junior Daylon Carter converted a traditional three-point play to cap off SU's decisive run in the second half.
 
Mercyhurst got a game-high 20 points from freshman guard MiyKah McIntosh, while graduate transfer Jason Massey provided 13 points. Nelson Maxwell scored 14 points, while Patrick Smith contributed seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
The two teams combined for just 13 free-throw attempts: Mercyhurst was 4-of-8 at the line while Shippensburg was 2-of-5, with all five attempts coming in the second half. In Mercyhurst's last game, the Lakers and Mansfield combined for just nine free-throw attempts. Shippensburg's five free-throw attempts are its fewest in a 32-game span dating back to Jan. 12, 2018 against Cheyney.
 
UP NEXT: Wednesday, 7 p.m. vs. Shepherd.