SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team simply could not establish any rhythm on offense Wednesday night, as the Raiders rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half but could not stave off visiting Shepherd in 74-67 loss to the Rams in a non-conference matchup from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (11-3) got a game-high 18 points from senior Antonio Kellem and double-doubles from both redshirt-senior Manny Span (12 points, 11 rebounds) and junior John Castello (10 points, game-high 15 rebounds), and also set a school record by committing just two turnovers in the entire game (including zero in the second half).
 
However, the Raiders shot a season-low 30.9 percent from the field – including a 27-percent rate in the second half. Shippensburg shot more accurately from three-point range (9-of-26, 34.6 percent) than it did overall from the field (21-of-68). The performance was the second-lowest field-goal percentage for the Raiders in the last four seasons, and marked SU's lowest shooting output at home since Feb. 12, 2014 – a span of 71 games.
 
Shepherd (7-4) improved to 3-0 against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents this season by virtue of its defense and by similarly taking care of the basketball – the Rams committed just four turnovers, resulting in just six combined turnovers between the two teams. The visitors shot 41 percent overall and hit 10 three-pointers, including a banked-effort from Thomas Lang that put the Rams up by four with 1:06 to play.
 
Despite Shippensburg's sluggish offensive output, its defense got it back in the game in the second half. Trailing by 10 points at the intermission (41-31), SU opened the second half on an 8-2 run to get within four points. The Raiders grabbed their first lead since the opening minutes with 8:55 remaining on a three-pointer by Kellem, and led by three points with 5:04 to go.
 
After allowing 41 points in the first half, Shippensburg yielded just 18 points to Shepherd in the second half with 4:30 remaining. However, the Rams closed the game on a 15-5 run, as the Raiders made just one field goal down the stretch – a lay-up by Castello with 3:19 remaining.
 
Span's double-double was the first of his career – he finished one short of his career high with 11 rebounds while posting double figures in points for the sixth time overall. Castello's 15 rebounds are the most by an SU player this season. Kellem, who played in 100th career game as a Raider, hit four of Shippensburg's nine three-pointers.
 
Sophomore Jake Biss scored 12 points and had three rebounds, scoring half of his points at the free-throw line (6-of-6). Junior Lamar Talley hit a pair of three-pointers and had a career-high four assists. Redshirt-freshman Dom Sleva added six points and three rebounds off the bench.
 
Shepherd received strong performances from its bench, as the reserves totaled 31 points for the Rams. While starters Derek McKnight, Kyle Daggett and Lang combined for 35 points, the visitors also had Jon Preston score 12 points, guard Jarrell Jones chip in with seven points and two assists, and freshman post player Emmanuel Aghayere deliver seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
Wednesday's loss ended Shippensburg's 27-game home winning streak that dated back to Feb. 1, 2017 against Kutztown (81-75). It was also the first loss at home for the Raiders against a non-conference opponent since 2014. Despite the setback, Shippensburg is an impressive 50-4 in home games since the start of the 2015-16 season (38-2 since start of 2016-17 season).
 
On Saturday, Shippensburg will host East Stroudsburg for the first matchup of the season between the two division rivals. The Warriors, who lost by 17 points at Saint Rose on Wednesday night, enter Saturday having won 19 consecutive games against PSAC opponents. ESU's last league setback was Shippensburg's 89-64 win over the Warriors on Jan. 31, 2018 in which Justin McCarthur set a league record by going 9-for-9 from three-point range.
 
UP NEXT: Saturday, 3 p.m. vs. East Stroudsburg.
 
Notes: Of the many peculiar statistical notes of the night, perhaps the weirdest is that Shepherd totaled six points off two Shippensburg turnovers...both of Shippensburg's turnovers came on consecutive possessions at 16:20 and 15:54 of the first half, and off each turnover, Shepherd hit a three-pointer…Shippensburg shot 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the free-throw line, while Shepherd was 77 percent (10-of-13) at the line.