The Shippensburg University men's basketball team dropped a 91-74 decision at East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Koehler Fieldhouse.
Redshirt-sophomore
Markus Frank made a free throw in the final minute to give him a team-high 20 points on the day, which put him at exactly 1,000 points for his career.
Frank, who played in just his 53rd career game Saturday, became the 38th player in school history to achieve the milestone. He is the first Raider to eclipse the 1,000-point mark since Carlos Carter and Dom Sleva did it on the same day – Jan. 7, 2023 at Edinboro.
Shippensburg (8-17, 5-13 PSAC East) raced out to a 15-6 lead after the opening 6:15 but ultimately could not weather the East Stroudsburg (19-5, 13-4) press as effectively as it did in the previous meeting exactly one month ago.
SU led 22-20 with 8:53 to go in the first half before the Warriors unleashed a 27-9 run to lead 47-31 at the intermission. ESU forced 12 first-half turnovers and shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field.
Frank scored 10 points in the opening 1:42 of the second half, making 4-of-4 from the field (including two "and-ones") to get the Raiders within 10 points, 51-41. That was as close as SU would get the rest of the way.
Frank's 20-point game was his 14th of the season and the 24th of his career. His 505 points this season are the most of any PSAC player.
Junior
Denzel Figueroa delivered 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high four assists in 30 minutes of action. It was Figueroa's eighth game in double figures this season.
Junior
Timmy Conner finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. It was his eighth consecutive game in double figures. Freshman
Jaydon Smith posted double digits for the 17th time this season, totaling 12 points.
Junior
Jalen Bowie scored five points and recorded his most assists as a Raider for the second straight game – totaling six. Bowie had five assists Wednesday against West Chester.
Junior
Trey Martin tallied six points, three rebounds and two steals while redshirt-freshman
Jackson Boone totaled two points, three rebounds and an assist.
Raider nemesis Lakeem McAliley led all players with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting. McAliley scored 23 points in the first half; overall, he was 3-of-6 from three-point range and 7-of-8 at the free-throw line. The Warrior second unit was particularly effective, totaling 29 points on 50-percent shooting (12-of-24) and eight assists.
Shippensburg's next game is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Kutztown.
