The Shippensburg University men's basketball team was contained in the second half by West Chester on Saturday as it dropped a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division slugfest to the Golden Rams, 76-54, at Hollinger Field House.
Shippensburg (6-8, 1-6) and West Chester (10-4, 4-3) struggled offensively in the first half and were tied at the intermission, 28-28. The Raiders scored the first five points of the second half, and despite a Golden Ram counter, it was a still one-possession game (48-45 WCU) with less than 11 minutes to go.
West Chester's Dinari Boykin hit three-pointers on the next two possessions that gave the Golden Rams a nine-point lead and forced a timeout. SU did not get any closer the rest of the way, as WCU closed out the final 10-plus minutes with a 28-9 run.
The Golden Rams, annually among the league's best rebounding teams and once again topping the PSAC this season in the category, finished with a 47-27 advantage on the glass. West Chester had one less offensive rebound (26) than Shippensburg had total rebounds (27) and posted a 27-5 advantage in second-chance points.
Shippensburg led in the game for a longer duration than the Golden Rams (20:02 to 16:49) but shot a season-low 36.2 percent (17-of-47) from the field, including just 31.8 percent (7-of-22) in the second half.
Jaydon Smith led the Raiders with 15 points.
Markus Frank maintained his streak of reaching double figures in every game this season but was held to a season-low 10 points on 3-pf-6 shooting. Frank and
Jackson Boone tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
Ruben Rodriguez had a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) to pace four Golden Rams in double figures.
Shippensburg will have three home doubleheaders in a five-day stretch next week, beginning at 8 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Millersville at Heiges Field House.
