The Shippensburg University men's basketball team battled No. 10-ranked Gannon Friday but could not slow down the Golden Knights over the final 15 minutes, falling 80-58 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover matchup at the Highmark Events Center in Erie.
Shippensburg (5-6, 0-4 PSAC) stayed close with No. 10 Gannon (11-1, 5-0) and its physical full-court press for the first 25 minutes. The Raiders maintained a few small leads in the first half, including an 18-13 advantage at the 10:34 mark. SU trailed by just five points at halftime and was within four points of the Golden Knights, 46-42, with 14:30 to go.
At that juncture, the hosts embarked upon a 12-0 run to take control. The Raiders were unable to get the deficit below 14 points the rest of the way.
It was the first game in 12 days for SU, which returned to practice earlier this week after the NCAA-mandated holiday break.
Shippensburg began with near maximum efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. After making five of their first six shots to start the second half, the Raiders were shooting 58.8 percent (20-of-34) from the field with 14:30 left in the game.
SU ended up shooting 47.3 percent overall, as it made just six field goals the rest of the way. The Raiders were 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from three-point range and committed 13 of their season-high 21 turnovers in the second half. The Golden Knights finished with 27 points off turnovers.
The glass also proved to be a big factor, as Gannon out-rebounded Shippensburg by a 45-30 margin and posted an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points. GU had 20 offensive rebounds compared to just seven for the Raiders.
Markus Frank led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Frank scored nine points in the opening five minutes to stake the Raiders out to an early 11-8 lead. It was the seventh 20-point game of the season for Frank and the 33rd of his career. He also had a team-high three steals.
Jaydon Smith was the only other Raider in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Smith added a team-high three assists and did not commit a turnover in 30 minutes on the floor.
Sebastian Edwards provided a spark off the bench in the first half, scoring nine points on 4-of-4 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.
Pace Prosser led five Golden Knights in double figures with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting. The hosts were just 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) from three-point range but Mackenzie Morgan was an efficient 3-of-5 en route to 13 points.
Gannon, which entered Friday's game leading the nation in personal fouls per game (23.4), committed just two in the first half and had five total fouls with seven minutes left in the contest. The Golden Knights finished 16-of-21 (76 percent) at the free-throw line while the Raiders were a season-low 3-of-8 (38 percent).
Shippensburg returns to action at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Clarion.
