The Shippensburg University women's basketball team overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half Saturday to tie it in the final minute, but homestanding Mansfield made a free throw with two seconds left to claim a 71-70 victory over the Raiders in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division match at Decker Gymnasium.
Shippensburg (6-9, 3-6) fell behind 10-0 after the opening five minutes but rallied to within one possession by the end of the first quarter. Saturday's game was full of mini-scoring runs; Mansfield (7-7, 3-5) led by seven at the half (40-33) and then by a game-high 14 points after it opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run.
SU immediately answered with an 8-0 run to get within six but could only trim the deficit to one possession on multiple occasions down the stretch. Mansfield led 67-62 with 47 seconds left but missed a pair of free throws, which resulted in a Raider layup and two Mountaineer free throws to make it 69-64 entering the final 30 seconds.
Senior
Taja Colbert hit a three-pointer to make it a 69-67 game with 17 seconds left, and after Mansfield made 1-of-2 free throws at the other end, freshman
Abbie Johns drained a three-pointer to tie it at 70-70 with 10 seconds left.
Mansfield's Katie Sheeler took the ensuing in-bounds pass and drove toward the hoop and was awarded a pair of free throws with two seconds left. Sheeler missed the first but made the second, and SU's ensuing three-point heave at the buzzer fell short to give the hosts a one-point win.
Colbert's three-pointer capped her scoring with a career-high 21 points; she was 6-of-14 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. She contributed a game-high six assists, one short of her career high, and grabbed four rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. In three games this week, Colbert was on the court for all but 14 seconds,
Sheeler had a game-high 23 points for the Mountaineers; she was 1-of-11 from three-point range but 12-of-14 at the free-throw line. She finished with a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals.
Sophomore
Mia Johnson scored 12 points, her sixth game in double figures this season, while Johns totaled nine points. Senior
Abbie Miller had eight points and six rebounds, while sophomore
Alexis Buie finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Both teams made 17 free-throws, however, SU did it on 20 attempts compared to Mansfield's 33. The Raiders were able to hang in the game as a result of the Mountaineers' 51.5-percent rate at the charity stripe.
SU was whistled for 26 fouls, one off its season high, while the two teams combined for 45 fouls overall. Foul trouble was a factor for both teams, particularly in the first half as both teams entered halftime with four players having two or more fouls.
Shippensburg hosts East Stroudsburg at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Heiges Field House.
