SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team used a strong second half to pull away from Cheyney in a nonconference victory Monday evening at Heiges Field House, 98-76.
 
Shippensburg (4-1) guard Jaydon Smith scored 16 second-half points to finish with a career-high 23 to lead the Raiders. Smith shot an impressive 9-of-12 from the field (75 percent) and also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds.
 
Cheyney (3-4) was game early, answering the Raiders bucket-for-bucket for the majority of the first half. S.J. Hutchinson led the way for the Wolves with 15 points and eight boards.
 
The upset-minded Wolves led by as many as four points early on before the Raiders took the lead with a 13-3 spurt in the latter stages of the opening twenty minutes. Markus Frank scored seven points during the stretch.
 
SU entered the second half up five, and with the help of a pair of Smith threes netted eight straight points to quickly open up a double-digit advantage, 52-39.
 
The spurt was just the beginning of a larger 21-5 Raider run. SU led by as much as 24 points as the hosts shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field after halftime.
                                                             
Frank finished with 22 points, including a 10-of-11 night from the free throw line.
 
Michael Dickson came close to a triple-double, totaling 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
 
Ben Rill chipped in a career-high nine points and five rebounds.
 
Monday's matchup featured 47 combined fouls and 65 total free throw attempts. Eighty of SU's 98 points were scored in the paint (52) or at the foul line (28).
 
The Raiders next travel to Greensburg for a nonconference road matchup against Seton Hill Monday at 6 p.m.

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