The Shippensburg University men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with Seton Hill on Monday night but could not erase a second-half deficit, as the Raiders dropped an 88-83 decision to the host Griffins in a non-conference matchup at the McKenna Center.
Shippensburg (4-2) led by as many as eight points at the 9:28 mark of the first half but was held scoreless in the final 2:30 before halftime. An 8-0 run caused it to trail by five, 39-34, at the break.
The Raiders trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half. SU used an 8-0 run to get within two, 80-78, with 82 seconds to go, but could not get any closer.
Markus Frank delivered a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Frank was 4-of-7 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line.
Jaydon Smith poured in 18 points that included a 4-of-6 proficiency from three-point range.
Ben Rill erupted for a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 at the charity stripe; it was Rill's first double-digit scoring effort of his young career.
Michael Dickson finished with nine points. Dickson and Smith tied for the team high with seven rebounds and five assists. Frank, Dickson and Smith each grabbed seven rebounds.
Seton Hill (6-1) got double-doubles from Edir Ortiz and Kedrick Curtis – both men had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Curtis was two assists shy of a triple-double; he also had two blocks and two steals. Ortiz added five assists and three blocks. The Griffins out-blocked the Raiders 7-0. Gabe Gillespie led the hosts with 15 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
Both teams had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. While the Raiders had 15 assists compared to 13 turnovers, the Griffins were even better – totaling 19 assists to just six turnovers.
SU shot 51 percent overall, including 44 percent (11-of-25) from three-point range, and did not miss at the free-throw line (10-of-10). Seton Hill shot 46 percent but got to the free-throw line 10 more times, making 15-of-20 attempts.
Shippensburg is right back it at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bowie State.
