SHIPPENSBURG — The Shippensburg University women’s basketball team opened Wednesday night’s game on a 16-0 run and then limited visiting West Chester to five points over the final 7:50 to defeat the Golden Rams 63-58 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup.
Shippensburg (14-9, 10-7 PSAC) shot 50 percent in the first quarter and led 21-10 after the opening 10 minutes. West Chester (7-14, 5-10) got within six points of the lead at halftime and out-scored the Raiders 16-8 in the third quarter, as a late pull-up jumper by Leah Johnson in the waning seconds of the third quarter gave the visitors a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, a three-pointer by freshman Taja Colbert (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) with 6:55 remaining returned the lead to SU and the Raiders would not relinquish the advantage. Shippensburg’s defense limited the Golden Rams to went 1-of-16 in the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter, including 15 consecutive misses heading into until the final minute.
Shippensburg dominated the boards, matching a season high with 49 rebounds and outrebounding West Chester by 10. SU scored 46 of its 63 points in the paint and totaled 10 of its 15 assists in the first half.
Junior Aunbrielle Green (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin East) had 19 points, two short of a career high, and a career-high 19 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. It is the most rebounds in a single game by a Raider since Morgan Griffith had 19 at Kutztown on Jan. 14, 2015.
