Gallery: (12-6-2024) 2024-25 Men's Basketball vs. UPJ
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team transformed a 19-point second-half deficit into a one-possession game with 1:31 to go but could not complete its comeback Friday night, falling 91-86 to Pitt-Johnstown in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) showdown at Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (2-6, 1-2 PSAC) led for the opening 18 minutes of play Friday against Pitt-Johnstown (7-3, 3-0), including a nine-point advantage at the six-minute mark and an eight-point advantage with 5:08 left in the first half.
The Mountain Cats chipped away and took their first lead of the game with 24 seconds left before halftime. UPJ led at the break, 42-40.
The score was 50-47 in favor of the visitors at the 17:13 mark. A 23-7 run subsequently gave the Mountain Cats a 73-54 lead with 10:30 to go.
Johnstown began the second half making 10-of-12 from the floor. In the first 13 minutes of the second half, Jay Rose was 6-for-6 from the field including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range. He capped his torrid stretch with a three-pointer that gave the visitors an 80-62 lead with 7:11 left.
Undaunted, the Raiders kept plugging away. SU made eight consecutive field-goal attempts in a four-minute span of the second half and got within nine points, 80-71, with 5:07 left.
UPJ, meanwhile, only made two field goals in the final seven minutes and committed five turnovers in the final five minutes after committing only five turnovers in the preceding 35 minutes.
A pair of free throws by freshman
Jaydon Smith made it a four-point game, 82-78, with 2:23 to go. Freshman
David Dorsey made four free throws in a 20-second span, with the final two getting the Raiders within three points, 85-82, with 1:31 to go.
Pitt-Johnstown made 6-of-7 at the free-throw line in the final minute to eventually claim the win but not without a fair share of drama. Junior
Jalen Bowie made a driving layup with nine seconds left to again get SU back within three points, and the Mountain Cats turned the ball over on the ensuing in-bounds.
However, SU stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession, and Vinnie Cugini sank a pair of free throws to create the game's final margin.
Five Raiders finished in double figures. Bowie was integral off the bench, shooting 6-of-8 from the field (including 2-of-3 from three-point range) to go along with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. His 14 points are his most as a Raider.
Dorsey, who also came off the bench, led the Raiders overall in scoring with a career-high 17 points in 19 minutes. He was 8-of-8 at the free-throw line and exceeded his career point total entering the game by six.
Junior
Donovan Hill had another noteworthy double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Hill's fourth double-double of the season had already been achieved by halftime; he had 12 points and 12 boards by the break.
Smith finished with a career-high 14 points while playing a team-high 36:28; he was 5-of-5 at the free-throw line and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds as well.
Redshirt-sophomore
Markus Frank scored 10 points, while junior
Timmy Conner contributed nine points and three assists. Junior
Denzel Figueroa was a perfect 3-of-3 off the bench, finishing with six points and four rebounds.
Johnstown's Ryan Smith led all scorers with 27 points; 22 of those points came in the first half as he was 8-of-14 from the field at halftime. Point guard Sean Dillon totaled 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds and seven assists. Rose finished with 17 points; he was 1-of-9 from the field in the timespan before and after his second-half run.
The teams combined to shoot 31-of-33 (93.9 percent) from the free-throw line; UPJ was 16-of-17 and SU was 15-of-16.
Shippensburg is back in action at 3 p.m. tomorrow when it hosts Gannon at Heiges Field House.
