SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team came up just short Sunday against regional rival Bowie State, dropping a 75-74 decision to the Bulldogs in non-conference action at Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (2-5) and Bowie State (5-4) had their matchup decided by one point for the second straight season; the Bulldogs won last year 70-69 in Prince George's County. It was the second win of the week for Bowie against a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opponent, as on Wednesday it won at home over Shepherd, 62-56.
 
SU had a marvelous final 10 minutes of the first half and took a 47-33 lead into halftime. The Raiders trailed 21-20 at the 10:29 mark before riding a fast-paced transition game to a slew of buckets before the break.
 
In the first half, Shippensburg shot 56 percent (19-of-34) from the field; SU was 9-of-12 from the field in the final 10 minutes, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in the final 4:08 of the half.
 
Bowie State trailed 57-44 with 14 minutes remaining. A 10-0 run ensued, aided by an offensive foul/charge call on the Raiders that included a technical foul, and by the 12:09 mark it was a one-possession game. The overall run for the visitors was 19-1, as the Bulldogs led 65-58 with 8:59 to go.
 
Shippensburg was never able to regain the lead despite tying it twice in the final 70 seconds. The Raiders made 1-of-2 at the free-throw line with four seconds to go, and the Bulldogs were able to grab the rebound and then kill the rest of the clock after heaving the ensuing in-bounds down the floor.
 
Bowie State scored 28 points off a season-high 21 Raider turnovers. Rebounds were separated by just three. SU was 18-of-24 from the free-throw line – a season-high 75 percent – while Bowie was 14-of-20 (70 percent) at the line.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Markus Frank led all scorers with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 10-of-14 at the free-throw line. It was his third 30-point game of the season. Frank had five rebounds and five steals.
 
Junior Donovan Hill recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Hill was 6-of-9 from the field (2-of-5 from three-point range) and had four assists. Junior Timmy Conner added nine points.
 
Freshmen Jaydon Smith and David Dorsey helped key Shippensburg's strong close to the first half. Smith finished the game with a career-high seven assists and did not commit a turnover; he also had six points, a steal and a block.
 
Six of Smith's assists came in the final 5:26 of the first half; he assisted on all but one of SU's final seven field goals of the frame.
 
In 10 first-half minutes, Dorsey had three blocks, three defensive rebounds and a dunk. Dorsey finished the game with four blocks (he had two through his first three games), and SU had seven as a team.
 
Bowie State got 28 points from Warren Mouganda – including 17 in the second half. Mouganda was 10-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Justin Morrissey scored 12 points off the bench.
 
A pair of Bulldog reserves also helped key the comeback for the visitors. Corey Barnes, who played 12 minutes in the second half and 17:48 overall, finished the game with a +22 plus-minus rating, meaning Bowie scored 22 more points than it allowed while he was on the floor. Barnes had four points, five rebounds, two assists and four steals. Fellow reserve Tyler Buckhanon did not attempt a field goal in his 13:56 on the floor and only had three rebounds, three fouls and three turnovers on his stat sheet but was +19 in the game.
 
The Raiders fell to 0-2 at home this season, with the two losses being by a combined three points.
 
Shippensburg hosts Pitt-Johnstown at 5 p.m. Friday in conference crossover at Heiges Field House.