The Shippensburg University men's basketball team dropped a 100-72 decision at No. 13-ranked California (Pa.) on Monday night in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup at the Convocation Center.
Shippensburg (4-3, 1-2 PSAC) hung with California (9-0, 2-0) early on, leading 18-16 at the 12-minute mark, before the Vulcans reeled off a 14-2 run to lead by 10 points, 30-20, with 7:13 left in the opening half. A quick 5-0 spurt got the Raiders within five, but the hosts concluded the first half on an 11-1 run to lead by 16 points at halftime. SU could not reduce the deficit to single digits in the second half.
Redshirt-junior
Ty Crespo led the Raiders in scoring with 14 points, shooting 5-of-12 from the field including a pair of three-pointers. It is Crespo's fourth game in double figures this season.
Juniors
Satchel Ball and
Michael Dunn each scored 13 points; for Ball it marks a career high, while for Dunn it is his fourth game out of the last five in which he has posted double figures. Ball added three assists and two steals, while Dunn hit 3-of-6 from three-point range.
Sophomore
Trey Martin and redshirt-freshman
Markus Frank each scored nine points. Martin was 3-of-6 from the field and grabbed three rebounds in his first game back after missing the last two contests. Junior
Kyle Whippen had six points and six rebounds.
California shot 50 percent or better from the field in both halves and four starters reached double figures. Zyan Collins scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the first half; he was 8-of-11 from the field and added seven rebounds and four assists. Jermaine Hall Jr. had 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Bryson Lucas recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. The Vulcans finished with a 54-32 advantage in rebounds and were 20-of-23 (87 percent) at the free-throw line, including 12-of-15 (80 percent) in the first half.
Shippensburg returns to action at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Slippery Rock.
