SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team tied a single-game school record with 18 three-pointers on Wednesday night and held the league's top-scoring team to its lowest point total in more than two years as the Raiders defeated West Chester, 83-58, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup from Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (18-4, 14-2 PSAC) achieved its first-ever regular season series sweep of West Chester (15-7, 9-7) since moving to the Eastern Division in the 2008-09 season. The win also snapped a streak of alternating wins and losses between the two teams over the last 10 meetings in the series that dated back through Jan. 30, 2016.
SU shot 18-of-31 (season-high 58 percent) from three-point range, including 9-of-13 (69 percent) in the second half, and 13-of-15 (86 percent) at the free-throw line. WCU shot just 35 percent overall and was held to its lowest point total since a 58-50 win over Mercyhurst on Dec. 9, 2017. It entered Wednesday averaging 85.4 points per game but was held 27 points below that average.
West Chester also entered as the No. 3 rebounding team in the nation but was out-rebounded by 13 (43-30) against the Raiders. The 30 rebounds are the fewest in a game for the Golden Rams since grabbing 29 in a 52-44 win at Gannon on Nov. 18, 2017.
Shippensburg made nine three-pointers in each half to tie the single-game record of 18 three-pointers set in the 2017 NCAA Opening Round victory over Virginia Union (79-59 on Mar. 11, 2017). Six different Raiders contributed to the three-point barrage. West Chester was 4-of-15 (27 percent) from three-point range; Malik Jackson was 3-of-4 but his teammates went a combined 1-of-11 (9 percent).
Junior
Jake Biss made a career-high six three-pointers; he finished with a game-high 26 points to complement eight assists, four rebounds and two steals. Biss was 6-of-11 from long range, marking the most three-pointers in a single game by a Raider since
Antonio Kellem had six three-pointers in a 100-85 win over Kutztown on Jan. 12, 2019.
Senior
Lamar Talley and sophomore
Carlos Carter each made three three-pointers to finish with nine points. Talley was 3-of-5 from long range and nearly finished with a double-double, adding eight rebounds and two assists. Carter was 3-of-4 from three-point range and grabbed three rebounds.
Senior
John Castello finished with nine points and seven rebounds despite foul trouble limiting him to just 22 minutes. Castello hit Shippensburg's 18th and final three-pointer entering the final minute of play. Sophomore
Luke Nedrow also had seven rebounds.
Redshirt-sophomore
Dom Sleva and junior
Kiyon Hardy combined for 26 points off the bench. Sleva had 15 points, five rebounds and a career-high five assists while shooting 3-of-4 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. Hardy scored 11 points and was 2-of-3 from three-point range. He also had three rebounds and two assists.
West Chester got 21 points from Jackson, who was 7-of-10 from the field. Robbie Heath, the PSAC's leading scorer, finished with 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting. WCU's three other starters combined for zero points, shooting 0-for-13 from the field. The Golden Rams got 24 points from their bench, including 10 from Terrell Jones.
The Raiders hold a five-game divisional lead in the East with six regular-season games remaining. West Chester falls into a three-way tie for second place in the division with West Chester and East Stroudsburg. Kutztown sits one-half game behind those three teams.
Shippensburg heads to Mansfield on Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup with the Mountaineers from Decker Gymnasium.
