Gallery: (1-29-2025) 2024-25 Men's Basketball vs. Shepherd
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team was kept in check by the league's top defense Wednesday night as it dropped a 65-51 decision to regional rival Shepherd in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (7-13, 4-9 PSAC) shot 41 percent overall and made 24 field goals while Shepherd (14-6, 10-3) shot 40 percent and made 25 field goals. The Rams, however, had the edge in three-pointers (eight to two) and free throws (seven to one) while limiting the Raiders to 11-percent shooting (2-of-18) from three-point range.
Redshirt-sophomore
Markus Frank had another spirited offensive performance. His frequent slashes to the hoop resulted in a game-high 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career. Frank's 20-point effort is his third in the last four games and his 12th of the season. He also had two assists and two blocks.
Junior
Timmy Conner reached double figures for the third straight game and the seventh time this season, scoring 14 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Fellow junior
Trey Martin finished with 11 points – his third straight game in double figures – and made both of SU's three-pointers on the night.
Shepherd's Chase Paar paced the visitors with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds, blocking four shots and dishing out two assists without committing a turnover in 29 minutes of action. All eight Rams scored on the night, with Marcus Banks tallying 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Shippensburg was never able to gain the lead Wednesday night. Despite trailing by 14 points with 15 minutes to go, the Raiders rallied and got as close as six points (53-47) with 7:17 to go. Shepherd closed the game on a 12-4 run, limiting SU to just two field goals in the final seven minutes.
Both teams finished with less than 10 turnovers (eight for Shepherd, nine for Shippensburg) – a typical occurrence when the two squads meet. The Rams only committed nine fouls on the night; the Raiders have attempted just nine free-throw attempts in the last two games. SU's four assists marked its lowest total in a game in three years.
Shippensburg starts the second half of its divisional schedule at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bloomsburg.
