The Shippensburg University men's basketball team dropped a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) road matchup to Bloomsburg, 85-76, on Friday night at Nelson Field House. The Raiders nearly pulled off an incredible comeback with a 20-0 run in five minutes of action during the second half, but the Huskies escaped with the win by converting their free throws down the stretch.
 
The Raiders (5-7, 2-5 PSAC) had five players reach double-figures. Redshirt-freshman Markus Frank led the Raiders with 14 points. Frank also added seven rebounds and two assists to his totals. Sophomores Trey Martin and Timmy Conner each scored 11 points.
 
Redshirt-junior Ty Crespo and sophomore Donovan Hill each scored 10 points for the Raiders. Hill's points were his first points for Shippensburg.
 
Bloomsburg (3-10, 1-6 PSAC) shot 47.7 percent from the field to record its first conference win. Shippensburg was held to just 35.7% from the field and were 7-of-30 from behind the arc.
 
It was a back-and-forth start as Bloomsburg and Shippensburg traded scores throughout the first half with nine lead changes and three ties. With the Raiders ahead 32-30, the Huskies finished the final 2:25 of the first half with a 9-2 scoring run for the largest lead of the game to that point at 39-34.
 
Three three-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half by Bloomsburg's Jake Nelson helped the Huskies extend the lead to double digits. A 10-1 scoring run midway through the half built the Bloomsburg lead to 21 points, 62-41, with 12:36 remaining.  
 
The defensive press from Shippensburg gave the Huskies issues, and the Raiders used quick defensive stops to hit a 16-0 run in just 2:16 of playing time to cut the deficit to five points. A basket by Hill and free throws by Martin extended the run to 20-0, bringing the visitor with one with 2:07 left, 75-74.  
 
The Huskies ended nearly a five-minute scoring drought with free throws to extend its lead to 77-74. The Raiders could not find a basket in the final two minutes, and Bloomsburg used free throws to pull out a narrow victory.
 
Bloomsburg's DJ Gordon went for 28 points in the game and Nelson finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
 
SU next hosts Millersville on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. tipoff at Heiges Field House.