The Shippensburg University women's basketball team fell Monday night in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Shepherd, 51-40, at the Butcher Athletic Center.
 
Shippensburg (3-17, 2-12 PSAC) held a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Shepherd (5-13, 3-10) closed with a 23-5 scoring run over the final 15 minutes of the game to secure a double-digit victory.
 
Junior Taja Colbert led the Raiders with 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Colbert was 5-of-5 from the free-throw line in the game. It was her tenth game in double figures this year.
 
Freshman Alexis Buie scored eight points in 13 minutes and set a new career high with six rebounds. Sophomore Makayla Foddrell and freshman Mia Johnson each had two steals defensively. Junior Abbie Miller added seven points.
 
SU was held to just 25-percent shooting in the first half but took a 27-25 lead into intermission. The Raiders found their way to the line early, going 13-of-14 from the foul line. Free throws from Foddrell and Buie gave Shippensburg an early lead, but Shepherd took a 7-4 advantage as the Raiders did not convert their first field goal until the six-minute mark in the first quarter.  
 
An and-one for Buie and a basket by Miller closed out the quarter with the Raiders holding a 12-11 advantage. The Rams regained the lead after an 11-3 spurt midway through the second, but the Raiders responded with an 8-0 run to close out the final 1:16 of the half.
 
Colbert scored Shippensburg's first five points of the third to help extend the lead. A three by Johnson put SU up by seven, the largest lead of the game to that point. Shepherd quickly responded with back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to 35-34.
 
With the Raiders ahead 38-36, the Rams hit back-to-back threes to kick off what would become a 15-2 run to close out the game. The Raiders did not score a field goal in the final 8:36. 
 
Shippensburg finished 20 percent from the field for the game and made just one three-pointer. Shepherd shot just 32 percent overall but 43 percent (9-of-21) from three-point range. The Raiders had 19 turnovers to the Rams' 20. Shepherd out-rebounded Shippensburg 46-39.
 
Shepherd's Jordan Carr led all scorers with 13 points off the bench and Carmaya Bowman grabbed 14 rebounds for the Rams.  
 
SU is back at Heiges Field House on Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. tip-off against Bloomsburg.