Shippensburg U. men’s basketball team races past Wilmington
SHIPPENSBURG –Junior Carlos Carter (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) scored a career-high 26 points to lead four Raiders in double figures Wednesday night as the Shippensburg University men’s basketball team dispatched Wilmington, 84-66, in a non-conference game at Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (2-1) opened on a 19-2 run before the game’s first media timeout occurred at the 15:28 mark and made 10 of its first 14 field-goal attempts on the night. SU led by as many as 26 points (47-21) in the first half and never trailed in the wire-to-wire win.
Wilmington (0-3) opened the second half on a 14-2 run but could not get any closer than within 12 points of the lead the rest of the way.
Carter made a career-high 10 field goals, including a career-high five three-pointers on 10 attempts, to surpass his previous career high of 22 points achieved on two occasions. He also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes on the night.
Redshirt junior Dom Sleva (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) recorded his first double-double of the season and the eighth of his career with 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Sleva was an efficient 4-of-6 from the field, including 2 of 2 from three-point range, and added two assists. Six of his 16 rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Redshirt junior Rashon Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz (Highland C.C.)) scored a season-high 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior Luke Nedrow (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic (Marist)) added 15 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Shippensburg returns to action when it hosts Cal U. at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Heiges Field House.
Six Shippensburg U. football players named to All-PSAC squad
SHIPPENSBURG — The Shippensburg University football team had six of its players named this week to the 2021 All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Football Teams, including a first-team honor for freshman placekicker Jaxson Montross (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock Area).
Voting is conducted by the league’s head coaches.
It is the first All-PSAC classification for all six of the Raider honorees.
Montross was the lone first-team honoree for the 9-2 Raiders, who had five players selected to the All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team: redshirt-junior tight end David Balint III (Landenberg, Pa./St. Mark’s (Del.)), senior defensive back Trey Paul (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), freshman wide receiver Ian Sheehan (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy), sophomore defensive lineman Jacoby Sherard (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrenceville), and redshirt junior center Josh Zacher (Livingston, N.J./Livingston).
Montross was 15 of 21 in field goals this season, missing only once on a kick attempt under 40 yards. His 15 field goals rank second in the PSAC and are tied for the second-most in SU single-season history. His 85 points by kicking also rank second in the PSAC and are the second-most in SU single-season history. His 50-yard field goal in the season opener is the longest field goal in school history. He also finished the season 40 of 43 on point-after attempts (PATs), including 20 in a row to conclude the season.
Shepherd quarterback Tyson Bagent, the nation’s leading passer, was named the Offensive Player of the Year. West Chester linebacker Jackson Taylor was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Shepherd wide receiver Ryan Beach was named the Rookie of the Year. Kutztown’s Jim Clements was named the Coach of the Year.
Shippensburg women’s basketball team drops game to Jefferson
SHIPPENSBURG – The Shippensburg University women’s basketball team came up short in a non-conference match against Jefferson on Wednesday night, falling to the Rams by a score of 76-65 at Heiges Field House.
Shippensburg (2-1) got 25 points from senior Destiny Jefferson (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton (West Chester)) and a double-double from junior Lauren Pettis (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) but could not overcome 25 turnovers and 46 percent shooting from the visitors.
Jefferson (3-0) got a triple-double (11 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists) from Morgan Robinson and 25 points in 27 minutes from Cassie Murphy to propel head coach Tom Shirley to his 800th career win at the helm of the Ram program. Among Shirley, SU head coach Kristy Trn (364 career wins) and SU assistant coach Dave Smith (628 career wins), there was a total of 1,792 coaching victories patrolling the sidelines Wednesday night.
The visiting Rams led by as many as 12 points in the first half and led by 15 points with 8:07 remaining before the Raiders got within four points with 3:42 remaining on a Destiny Jefferson jumper. SU was held scoreless the rest of the way other than a final bucket at the buzzer.
Jefferson’s 25 points marked her second straight 20-point game and the 23rd of her career. She matched her career high with five three-pointers and added five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Pettis scored 10 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and matched a career high with three steals.
Before the game, senior Ariel Jones (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) was honored in an on-court presentation for scoring her 2,000th career point in last Friday’s season opener. Jones sat out the game with a leg injury.
Shippensburg returns to action Sunday for its first road game of the season, a 2 p.m. non-conference clash at Holy Family.
Shippensburg to face PSAC foe in national field hockey semifinal game
The No. 1-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey team will compete in the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship Semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m.
The Raiders will face Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rival No. 4 East Stroudsburg at Millersville University’s Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.
Friday marks the second meeting of the season between Shippensburg (18-0) and East Stroudsburg (16-4). The Raiders won the regular-season matchup, 3-1, on Sept. 29
It is the first meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Tournament since the 2018 national championship game, which Shippensburg claimed 1-0 in overtime on a tipped-in goal by Emily Stauffer and an assist by Adrienne McGarrigle (Lititz, Pa./Warwick).
It is the first national semifinal meeting between the two teams since 2017, a game which Shippensburg won 2-1 in Louisville.
Shippensburg is 14-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and has won four NCAA Division II national titles: 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018. SU is seeking to become the first team since the 2012 West Chester Golden Rams to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and the NCAA Division II National Championship in the same season.
The Raiders are also seeking to become the first team to win a national championship with an undefeated record since Bloomsburg in 2006.
