SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore guard
Ariel Jones reached the 1,000-career point mark on Saturday, accomplishing the task quicker than any other women's basketball player in school history, but it was not enough as Shippensburg dropped a 66-55 decision to visiting Kutztown in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup from Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (6-10, 3-6 PSAC) could not find its offensive footing on Saturday, shooting just 30 percent from the field. Jones was the only Raider in double figures, posting 18 points. She was 7-of-7 at the free-throw line, and her 1,000th career point came on a free throw with less than a second remaining in the first quarter. A full summary of Jones' historic accomplishment is chronicled below.
Kutztown (7-8, 5-3) got 21 points and 11 rebounds from Rylee Derr and 15 points from Taylor Thames. The Golden Bears shot 46 percent from the field and made all but one free-throw attempt (12-of-13), finishing 92 percent at the charity stripe. KU, who entered the game averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game and attempting more threes than any other PSAC team, were held to 4-of-18 (22 percent) from three-point range.
SU got a solid performance from freshman
Lauren Pettis, who totaled nine points, five rebounds and two assists. Freshman
Aunbrielle Green had eight points and four rebounds, while sophomore
Kryshell Gordy contributed four points and six rebounds.
Freshman
Margarita Kilpatrick was a spark off the bench for Shippensburg, scoring a career-high nine points including a pair of three-pointers. Kilpatrick also grabbed a career-high four rebounds and had an assist in 20 minutes of action.
The Raiders made seven field goals in the fourth quarter, shooting 58 percent over the final 10 minutes, after sinking just eight shots from the field during the first three quarters. SU managed 31 free-throw attempts, shooting 71 percent at the line with 22 makes.
1,000 Points as a Sophomore:
* Jones is the second SU player to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore, joining PSAC all-time leading scorer Lauren Beckley '10.
* Jones becomes one of five known PSAC players to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore, joining Beckley, Cheyney's Valerie Walker, Bloomsburg's Theresa Lorenzi and California's Kayla Smith. Prior to their arrival in the PSAC, Gannon has had two players reach 1,000 points as a sophomore: Kristin Roseberry '02 and Rona Nesbit '81. There is a strong possibility that Cheyney's Yolanda Laney reached 1,000 points as a sophomore, but this remains unconfirmed.
Fastest to 1,000 Points:
* Jones, who has gotten to 1,000 points in just 44 games, could very well be the fastest player in PSAC history to reach 1,000 points, but the SU sports information office has not been able to verify in how many games the feat was achieved by Cheyney State greats Valerie Walker and Yolanda Laney (Jones has definitely reached 1,000 points faster than any player from any other current or former PSAC school besides Cheyney).
* Jones reached 1,000 career points one game faster than Shippensburg's Stacey Cunningham '84, who achieved the feat in the 45th career game (the fifth game of her junior season). Cunningham finished her career with 2,057 career points.
Comparing Jones to Other SU/PSAC/NCAA Greats:
* Beckley, who finished with 2,407 career points, scored her 1,000th point in her 49th game.
* Ashley Totedo '99 (2,050 career points from 1995-99) reached 1,000 points in 71 games.
* Tracy Spencer '96 (1,976 career points from 1992-96) reached 1,000 points in 66 games.
* California's Brooque Williams (2,205 career points from 2006-10) reached 1,000 points in 77 games.
* Bloomsburg's Theresa Lorenzi (2,173 career points from 1985-89) reached 1,000 points in 47 games.
* Lock Haven's Tina Martin (2,157 career points from 1982-86) reached 1,000 points in 50 games.
* California's Sara McKinney (2,121 career points from 2002-05) reached 1,000 points in 72 games.
* IUP's Jahzinga Tracey (2,101 career points from 2005-09) reached 1,000 points in 67 games.
* California's Kayla Smith (2,096 career points from 2006-11) reached 1,000 points in 65 games.
* Jones reached 1,000 points in the same amount of games (44) as NCAA Division II's all-time leading scorer, Johannah Leedham of Franklin Pierce (3,050 career points in 126 games from 2007-10).
UP NEXT: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. at Lock Haven.
