SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team used a late 8-0 run to pull away from visiting Millersville on Wednesday night, as the Raiders secured an 81-76 victory over the Marauders in a testy Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division showdown from Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (18-6, 12-4 PSAC) clinched a home playoff game with Wednesday's victory, as the Raiders moved three games ahead of No. 4 seed Millersville (14-10, 9-7) with just four games left on the regular-season docket. Still to be determined is if SU's home game will be a First Round contest (as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed) or a PSAC Quarterfinal, as the Raiders remain one game behind second-place East Stroudsburg (16-6, 13-3).
Wednesday's game featured a lopsided run for each team and a fiery final 15 minutes of action. SU established a 30-10 lead with 7:26 left in the first half, but the Marauders immediately countered with a 10-0 run and finished the half within 12 points of the Raiders at 41-29.
Millersville opened the second half on a 17-5 run to tie the score at 46-46 with 13:16 remaining, and eventually grabbed a one-point lead with 8:13 left. The Marauders never led by more than two points in the game, however, and the Raiders scored eight straight points beginning at the 3:16 mark of the second half to stretch a one-point advantage into a nine-point lead with 96 seconds remaining.
Sophomore
Jake Biss led all scorers with 24 points, making three three-pointers and finishing a career-best 9-of-9 at the free-throw line. Biss exceeded 20 points for the second straight game and third time this season; he has posted double figures in all but two games during his sophomore season.
Junior
Lamar Talley posted his second career double-double, totaling 12 points and 12 rebounds on 4-of-9 shooting. All 12 of Talley's points came in the second half, including a pair of pivotal three-pointers, while his rebounds were divided evenly amongst the two halves.
Junior
John Castello finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while senior
Antonio Kellem gutted out 11 points and five rebounds.
Redshirt-senior
Manny Span finished with nine points and six rebounds, including a 5-of-7 rate at the free-throw line. Over his last five games, Span has shot 78.9 percent (15-of-19) at the free-throw line.
Off the bench, redshirt-freshman
Dom Sleva thundered his way to six points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior
Daylon Carter and freshman
Carlos Carter combined for six points.
The Raiders had one of their best efforts of the year at the free-throw line, which proved pivotal down the stretch. SU shot 84 percent (16-of-19) at the free-throw line, while Millersville shot just 64 percent (9-of-14).
Millersville shot 58 percent (7-of-12) from three-point range in the second half and 46 percent overall (11-of-24) for the game; the Marauders became just the fifth SU opponent to finish a game with more three-pointers than the Raiders (7-of-24; 29 percent).
Shippensburg once again held a significant edge in rebounding, finishing with a 45-32 advantage over the Marauders. Millersville managed just one second-chance point on the night. Additionally, SU scored 21 points off 17 Marauder turnovers.
Following Saturday's game, SU Men's Basketball will have a post-game alumni reception at the new Courtyard Shippensburg.
UP NEXT: Saturday, 3 p.m. vs. Lock Haven (#WiseWillRise Day, Alumni Day, Final Four Raffle Drawing).
