SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team came out of halftime Saturday with a decisive 21-4 run and limited visiting East Stroudsburg to just 32-percent shooting as the Raiders re-gained first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division with a 59-46 victory over the Warriors from Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (14-7, 11-4 PSAC) limited East Stroudsburg (14-7, 10-5) to just seven points from the 4:11 mark of the second quarter to the 3:41 mark of the third quarter. In that 10:30 stretch, Shippensburg took a 24-19 lead and extended it into a 51-26 advantage. SU led 30-22 at halftime preceding its 21-4 run to start the third quarter.
The Raider defense allowed its fewest points of the season – ESU's 46 points are the fewest by an opponent since an 84-44 win over Mansfield on Jan. 23, 2019. Shippensburg forced 17 Warriors turnovers, scored 18 points off those turnovers, and also had 17 fast-break points in Saturday's win.
Junior
Destiny Jefferson was sensational, scoring a team-high 13 points to complement six rebounds, five assists and three steals. She was 7-of-8 at the free-throw line.
Sophomore
Aunbrielle Green produced her fourth double-double of the season and the 10th of her young career, scoring 11 points to complement a game-high 14 rebounds.
Junior
Ariel Jones finished with 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Junior
Kryshell Gordy had seven points, six rebounds, two assists and a block.
Sophomore
Lauren Pettis was pivotal off the bench, scoring 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with three rebounds.
Tiffany Lapotsky had 16 points for East Stroudsburg. Julia Kutz had eight points and eight rebounds.
The Raiders now hold a one-game lead in the Eastern Division over both East Stroudsburg and Shepherd with seven games remaining in the regular season. Saturday's win gave Shippensburg the season series over East Stroudsburg, which could pivotal in tiebreaker scenarios at the end of the season.
Shippensburg hosts West Chester at 6 p.m. Wednesday from Heiges Field House.
