SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team managed just 26 second-half points Monday but survived a late charge from visiting Lock Haven to claim a 71-70 victory over the Bald Eagles in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) First Round matchup at Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (23-6) advances to face West Chester (20-7) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a PSAC Quarterfinal at Hollinger Field House. Lock Haven (12-15) was eliminated from the playoffs with the loss.
SU closed the first half on a 19-7 run over the final 5:55 of the frame to take a 45-33 lead into the halftime break. Lock Haven unleashed a 17-4 run to take a 54-53 lead with 11:31 remaining, but the Raiders immediately countered with an 11-2 run to take an eight-point lead, 64-56, with 8:00 to play.
Shippensburg's lead was still eight points, 69-61, with 2:58 remaining, but Lock Haven kept charging and the Raiders went cold from the floor, missing shots on four consecutive possessions. A Matt Cerruti three-pointer from the far corner put the Bald Eagles within one point, 71-70, with eight seconds remaining.
On the ensuing in-bounds play, Shippensburg turned the ball over, giving Lock Haven a shot at the lead holding no timeouts and with seven seconds left. Cerruti missed a tough runner and SU grabbed the rebound with 1.5 seconds left. The Raiders missed the free throw at the other end, but a long full-court heave by the Bald Eagles went for naught and ended the game.
A career game from redshirt-senior
Manny Span was integral to the Raider victory. Span scored 16 points, marking his eighth career game in double figures (sixth this season), while recording a career-high 18 rebounds for his second career double-double. Span was 8-of-12 from the field. He scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half, and grabbed 12 of his 18 rebounds in the second half.
Sophomore
Jake Biss finished with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists but matched a season high with seven turnovers. Senior
Antonio Kellem scored 10 points and handed out seven assists, one short of a career high.
Junior
John Castello was 3-for-3 from three-point range in the first half; he finished with 13 points in 22 minutes. Redshirt-freshman
Dom Sleva had eight points and four rebounds.
Junior
Lamar Talley finished with five points, two assists and seven rebounds – the most important rebound being his grab of Cerruti's miss in the final two seconds to help secure the Raider victory.
Lock Haven got 24 points from both Cerruti and Christian Kelly. The two men combined for eight three-pointers; Cerruti was 4-for-4 from long range. Jihad Barnes had 10 points and five assists on 5-of-9 shooting.
SU finishes the season winning two of three meetings over the Bald Eagles. The Raiders lost a one-point game at Lock Haven (59-58) on Jan. 16 and won a home matchup (100-70) on Feb. 16.
Shippensburg also completes the 2018-19 season with a 16-1 record inside Heiges Field House. Overall, the Raiders are 46-2 at home over the last three seasons, and 58-4 at home stretching back over the last four seasons.
UP NEXT: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at West Chester (PSAC Quarterfinals).
