The No. 11-ranked Shippensburg University men's basketball team clashed with league rival No. 3 IUP on Saturday night but could not stave off the hosts in the second half, dropping an 88-77 decision to the Crimson Hawks in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) road matchup at Memorial Field House.
Shippensburg (8-2, 2-1 PSAC) held a 45-40 lead over IUP (8-0, 2-0) at halftime, as each team shot extremely well over the opening 20 minutes. The Raiders made nine of their 12 three-pointers for the game during the first half, starting the game 5-of-8 from behind the arc. The Crimson Hawks were 7-of-13 (54 percent) from three-point range in the first half and finished the game with a 50-percent proficiency.
IUP used a 13-2 run early in the second half to gain an eight-point lead, 60-52, with 14:29 remaining. Shippensburg got within four points of the lead at the 4:59 mark, but could not get any closer. With 1:43 remaining, SU trailed by six points, and the Raider defense forced a pair of IUP misses, but the Crimson Hawks grabbed offensive rebounds each time. A free throw and a turnover helped seal the game for the hosts in the final 30 seconds.
The two teams combined for just seven turnovers in the first half (four by IUP, three by SU). With 15:54 remaining, SU had committed just five turnovers – three of which were charges.
Four Raiders posted double figures, with senior
Antonio Kellem pacing the squad with 25 points. Kellem hit four of his five three-pointers in the first half and had scored 14 points through the first 10 minutes of the game. He finished with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Junior
John Castello had 19 points, including three three-pointers in the first half. Redshirt-senior
Manny Span scored 13 points, including a 5-of-6 rate at the free-throw line, and had eight rebounds.
Sophomore
Jake Biss scored 11 points and had four assists. In 10 minutes off the bench, freshman
Carlos Carter produced six points and five rebounds playing in front of a hometown crowd.
The hosts got 27 points from Dante Lombardi and a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) from Jacobo Diaz. Malik Miller scored 15 points, while Armoni Foster contributed 15 points off the bench.
UP NEXT: Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Gannon.
