On Saturday afternoon the Shippensburg University men’s basketball team made the best out of a bad situation.
Dylan Edgar scored 24 points for the second time this season but could not lead the Raiders past a hungrier Cheyney University squad, dropping the game 79–68.
Coming off a tough loss against West Chester University, the Raiders looked to turn things around against a well-rounded CU team.
For a while, it seemed that SU would right the ship. SU started the game strong, taking the lead early after an Edgar layup. The beginning of the game was back and forth, with the Raiders taking advantage of poor CU shooting. The Wolves and Raiders tied the game four times before the Raiders finally gave up the lead.
The Wolves held on to the lead for over 11 minutes until SU’s Tyhiem Perrin sunk a jumper to tie the game again at 28 with 4:22 left in the first half.
The Raiders regained the lead when sophomore guard Reggie Charles made a layup with the help of a slick feed from Edgar.
Right before the half ended, Charles sunk two free throws but the Raiders still trailed 36–34 heading into the locker room.
After the half, Perrin made three buckets to put the Raiders ahead 39–36. After those six points the game began to slowly slip through the Raiders’ hands.
The Wolves went on an 8–0 run to put them up 51–43. CU then increased its lead to 64–49—its largest lead— with 8:14 left.
Committing too many fouls and missing too many shots, the Raiders never regained control of the game, culminating in a 79–68 defeat.
Perrin finished the game with 13 points. Charles recorded 14 points, four assists and finished the game 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Despite the loss, SU earned the last playoff spot in the PSAC East as Kutztown University dropped an overtime thriller to Bloomsburg University. With SU owning the tie-breaker over KU, the Raiders backed into the final spot.
SU (7–18,5–16) will finish the regular season at Millversville University on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
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