SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team's hot early shooting helped them held off regional rivals Shepherd Wednesday in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division showdown at Heiges Field House, 74-67.
 
Shippensburg (8-11, 5-8 PSAC) shot a season-best 53.7 percent from the field, including an impressive 63.4 percent in the first three quarters, and outscored the Rams 46-to-30 in the painted area. Senior guard Taja Colbert (23 points, 8-of-15 shooting) and senior forward Abbie Miller (20 points, 9-of-13) each matched their career high in scoring for the Raiders in the victory.
 
Shepherd (4-16, 1-13) held the Raiders to just 23.1 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, helping the Rams turn a double-digit second half deficit to a four-point margin down the stretch. Forward Lamaria Estridge paced Shepherd's offense with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
 
Both teams shot above 50 percent from the field in a back-and-forth first half that featured five ties (eight total in the game) and eight lead changes (11 total).
 
A buzzer-beating layup from sophomore Bella Chimienti helped the hosts to a 21-20 edge after the first 10 minutes. After trailing for most of the second quarter, a Colbert steal followed by a highlight-reel passing sequence led to a Miller bucket that evened the score at 39-39 at the break.
 
Shippensburg had its best shooting stretch in the third, knocking down nine of 13 attempts (69.2 percent) and outscoring the Rams 26-to-16 in the frame. A 7-0 Raider spurt, capped by a Colbert coast-to-coast layup, gave the hosts their largest lead, 63-53, with 0:32 seconds left.
 
While Shippensburg went cold in the fourth quarter, Shepherd didn't fare much better, shooting 33.3 percent (4-of-12) during the final 10 minutes.
 
Freshman Abbie Johns converted a clutch basket that snapped a 9-2 Shepherd run with 5:40 remaining in the contest, 69-63. After a pair of Shepherd free throws once again cut the lead to just four, Colbert drained a timely trey to stretch the Raider margin back to seven with 3:02 left.
 
Chimienti was the third Raider to finish in double figures, tallying 12 points and a game-high five assists and four steals. Miller provided more than just scoring, pulling down a team-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals.
 
Sophomore Alexis Buie netted nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 night from the field.
 
Shepherd post Jenna Liska scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench, aiding the visitors' 30-to-13 advantage in bench scoring.
 
The Raiders return to action Saturday at Bloomsburg. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.