INDIANA, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team lost at No. 3 IUP on Saturday, 52-44, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Semifinal at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC).
Shippensburg (21-9) and IUP (28-2) played within eight points of each other for the entire game. In the first half, IUP built a lead as big as eight, but the Raiders went on a 10-0 run to take a 19-17 lead. SU never re-gained the lead, as IUP gained a 22-21 halftime advantage.
The second half was filled with close play, and it became two-point game with one minute to play, but the Raiders were unable to create any more offense as IUP closed on a 6-0 run to create the final margin.
Neither team shot above 33 percent in the contest (SU shot 26 percent, IUP shot 33 percent). Shippensburg was held to 17-percent shooting (4-of-23) from three-point range. SU committed just eight turnovers and scored 17 points off 19 IUP turnovers.
The Crimson Hawks, who entered the game with the PSAC's top scoring defense and field-goal defense and with the conference's top rebounding margin, finished with a 50-35 advantage on the glass.
Graduate
Jake Biss created a team-high 11 points and added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Redshirt-junior
Rashon Johnson contributed ten points, seven rebounds, one assist and a steal.
Junior
Carlos Carter had eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and an assist. Redshirt-junior
Dom Sleva put up eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist. Senior
Kiyon Hardy had seven points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Junior
Luke Nedrow played in his first game since January 24, a span of 12 contests, and had 10 minutes of action. Senior
Youssef Diabate and freshman
Michael Dunn also had 10 minutes off the bench; Dunn had three steals.
IUP got 12 points and five assists from Armani Foster, the PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year. Tomiwa Sulaiman, the PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year, had a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds. Dave Morris had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Shippensburg falls to 3-5 in PSAC Semifinal games since 1980. Saturday marked SU's fifth appearance in the PSAC Semifinals in the last six seasons dating back to 2016.
The Raiders posted their sixth consecutive 20-win season under head coach
Chris Fite. Shippensburg has posted a 140-44 record (.761 winning percentage) under Fite's direction since the start of the 2015-16 season.
Shippensburg's seniors: Biss, Hardy and Diabate, have a combined total of 257 games and 2,282 points.
