Gallery: (12-13-2022) 2022-23 Men's Basketball vs. Fairmont St
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University Men's Basketball team erased large deficits in the second half and in overtime, but ultimately came up short in an intense nonconference battle against the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons Tuesday inside Heiges Field House, 86-85.
After fighting back from an eight-point deficit to force the extra session, Shippensburg (4-4) trailed the Fighting Falcons by seven points with just 47 ticks remaining. Three treys in quick succession, including back-to-back triples from senior
Carlos Carter during a wild final few seconds gave the Raiders a one-point lead just a few moments later. But an inadvertent foul resulted in a pair of game-winning free throws from Fairmont State's Zyon Dobbs in the final seconds.
Fairmont State (6-3) took advantage of a 30-to-7 edge in second chance points and out-rebounded the opposition 48-to-39 to hand Shippensburg its first loss on its home floor this season. Point guard Fonz Hale led five different Fighting Falcons players in double figures, scoring 18 points and dishing out 6 assists.
Carter finished with a game-high 30 points and 5 rebounds, while redshirt senior
Rashon Johnson tallied 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals for the Raiders in a losing effort.
Fairmont ended an evenly played first half with a 5-0 spurt to take a 31-28 edge into the locker room. The Fighting Falcons continued their momentum into the start of the second half, as the visitors stretched their lead to eight points, even as Johnson, redshirt sophomore
Andrew Recchia and Carter countered with threes.
The Raiders eventually broke through, as Carter drained a three to even the score at 61-61 with 5 minutes remaining.
Johnson then sank both ends of a 1-of-1 from the foul line to give the Raiders their first lead of the second half, and a steal from freshman
Trey Martin sparked a transition two from Carter to give the hosts a four-point cushion, 65-61.
Hale broke a 71-71 stalemate with a three off a second chance opportunity with 52.5 seconds left in regulation, only for Johnson to answer with a clutch and-1 layup on the other end.
Graduate
Dom Sleva then denied Fairmont St. big Tariq Woody at the rim to send the game into overtime, 74-74.
The game looked all but over as Fighting Falcons scored eight of the first ten points in the extra session. A Johnson trey offered the hosts a glimmer of hope, and Carter followed with a pair of three-pointers just nine seconds apart to give the hosts a miraculous one-point lead.
After the Fighting Falcons regained the lead on a pair of free throws, Carter got a good look at a potential game-winner, but his baseline fadeaway attempt fell well short of the basket.
Dobbs (16 points), Isaiah Sanders (16 points), David Jolinder (12 points) and Woody (11 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers for Fairmont St. Tuesday.
Sleva (9 points, 15 rebounds) finished just one point shy of a double-double for Shippensburg, while Recchia added 9 points and 2 assists.
The Raiders return to action with a pair of conference crossover matchups in Erie, beginning with a Sunday showdown at Mercyhurst. Tip-off from the Mercyhurst Athletic Center is set for 3 p.m.
