SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team got 56 combined points Wednesday from juniors Ariel Jones and Destiny Jefferson, with the duo shooting 10-of-15 from three-point range, as the Raiders dispatched West Chester, 83-61, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (15-7, 12-4 PSAC) got 34 points from Jones, who was 11-of-17 from the field (5-of-9 from three-point range) and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. It is the twentieth 30-point game of her career, and the sixth time she has achieved the feat this season.
 
With her Wednesday performance, Jones moved into fifth on SU's all-time scoring list. Jones passed her head coach, Kristy Trn (1,765 points from 1989-93), and now has 1,781 points through 77 career games. She remains NCAA Division II's active career leader in scoring average (23.1 points per game).
 
Jefferson scored 22 points, grabbed four rebounds and had four assists. She was 5-of-6 from three-point range, tying her career high for three-pointers in a game – Jefferson also hit five three-pointers last season as a Golden Ram when she faced the Raiders at Heiges Field House. It is her fifth 20-point game of the season.
 
West Chester (8-13, 6-10) frequently denied the post to Shippensburg, which resulted in the 10 combined three-pointers from Jones and Jefferson. That total is a season high for the Raiders, and marks both the most three-pointers and the most efficient three-point percentage in a single game since Feb. 4, 2017, a 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) performance in an 82-56 win at Bloomsburg.  
 
Shippensburg took a 12-point lead into halftime after going 6-of-6 from three-point range in the second quarter – as Jones and Jefferson each made all three of their long-range attempts in the frame. The Raiders were 8-of-11 from long range in the first half.
 
The difference, however, was the third quarter, as Shippensburg out-scored the Golden Rams 20-7 to lead by as many as 25 points down the stretch. SU then made 13-of-17 (77 percent) from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to further cement the victory.
 
The Raiders out-rebounded the Golden Rams by 12 (44-32), with sophomore Lauren Pettis leading all players with 12 rebounds to complement six points and three blocked shots. It is the second double-digit rebound game of the season for Pettis and the 10th of her career.
 
Sophomore Lauren Mills nearly had a double-double, finishing with eight points while tying a career high with nine rebounds. Mills also had two assists and a block. It is the third time in her career she finished a game with nine rebounds.
 
Junior Kryshell Gordy had seven points on 3-of-4 shooting to go along with four steals, two rebounds and two assists. Junior Margarita Kilpatrick and sophomore Dah'Naija Barnes also scored points late in the fourth quarter.
 
With six regular season games remaining, SU is atop the Eastern Division and now has a 1 ½-game lead over both Kutztown and Shepherd – the two teams who just happen to be the final opponents of the regular season for the Raiders in late February.  
 
Shippensburg heads to Mansfield on Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Mountaineers from Decker Gymnasium.