Gallery: (2-28-2024) 2023-24 Men's Basketball vs. Shepherd
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team fell to Shepherd in its season finale Wednesday night in a back-and-forth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup, 73-65, at Heiges Field House.
Redshirt-freshman
Markus Frank led the Raiders with 15 points. Frank posted double figures in 22 of Shippensburg's 28 games this season.
Junior
Michael Dunn scored nine points, knocking down three three-pointers. Graduate
Andrew Recchia and
Satchel Ball scored eight points each. Ball wrapped up his Raider career by hitting two threes and tying a career high with seven rebounds. Recchia shot 3-of-6 and hit two threes.
Shepherd (12-14, 8-12 PSAC) shot 46 percent in the game compared to Shippensburg's (8-20, 4-18) 43 percent. The Raiders shot 13-33 from three (39 percent) and the Rams shot 11-31 (35 percent). Shepherd won the battle off the glass 37-30 and outscored SU in the paint 28-16. Both sides had 13 assists.
It was a three-point frenzy to open the game as Shepherd hit seven threes and the Raiders hit five threes through the first 13 minutes for a 21-15 Rams advantage. The Raiders got two threes from Recchia in that span, who scored the first two-point basket of the game with 6:39 left in the half.
The Rams took the next two baskets of the game to extend their lead to 25-17 before the Raiders scored seven straight to bring the deficit down to one point. A 9-4 finish to the half for Shepherd to close out the final four minutes gave the Rams a 34-28 halftime lead.
Both teams traded runs throughout the second half. Shepherd extended its lead to eight points early into the half. Free throws from Frank and a three by Dunn gave the Raiders some momentum. A basket by Whippen and a three by Frank extended the run to 10-0 and gave SU a 44-42 lead with 13:24 remaining.
The Rams answered the SU run with a 15-5 stretch over the next five minutes of the game to give Shepherd an eight-point lead. The Raiders responded with the next eight points to tie the game at 57-57 with 5:25 left to play.
A 10-0 swing for Shepherd quickly gave the Rams a double-digit lead. A three by Ball got the Raiders back in the game, but the Rams had the answers down the stretch to take an eight-point win in the end.
Senior
Ty Holsopple wrapped up his collegiate career with three points and three rebounds and matching his career high of three assists. Junior
Kyle Whippen had six points and five rebounds. Redshirt-junior
Ty Crespo had seven first-half points.
Dan McClain-Corley and Phillip Jordan both scored 19 points for Shepherd, each hitting three three-pointers. Carson Poffenberger finished in double figures with 13 points and Marcus Banks scored 10 points. Jarod Robinson had a game-high 11 rebounds.
