The Shippensburg University women’s basketball team split its set of weekend games at Heiges Field House, bullying Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponent Slippery Rock University on Saturday, and then losing to PSAC adversary Edinboro University in a tight game on Sunday.
The Raiders kicked off their weekend with a 94–58 trouncing of Slippery Rock. SU shot its best game in more than 20 years on Saturday, coming in at 66.1 percent from the field. Lauren Gold was honored before the game, as well, following her 1,000th point in the previous week’s contest versus Bowie State.
On Sunday, the difference came from bench play and on the boards. Edinboro left the contest with a 64–57 win, and came out on the right side of a wide margin in second-chance points and bench scoring. The Fighting Scots held the edge in these categories 26–9 and 24–3, respectively.
The Raiders spread the wealth in their first conference win of the season versus Slippery Rock, finishing the game with six players in double figures. SU racked up 29 assists in the contest, as well.
“It was a great team effort,” head coach Kristy Trn said. “It was great to see them come out in that atmosphere, and play loose and get the job done.”
SU only trailed Slippery Rock for about one minute of game time in the first quarter, and held a 47–37 lead at the half.
The Raiders did not let up following the break, as the team scored 29 points in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 30 heading into the fourth.
The high-scoring third quarter came in large part thanks to Stephanie Knauer, who clocked in with a team-high 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Her 13 third-quarter points was more than Slippery Rock scored combined. Knauer continues to impress coming off of last year’s season-ending injury, posting her second team-high scoring performance of the season. She attributes the quick rebound to what she called a lifestyle change.
“The girls always make fun of me for this,” Knauer said. “I eat very healthy for everything that I do, and make sure that when I’m home and here, I’m always working out.”
Lauren Gold was honored before Saturday’s game for reaching 1,000 points in her career. Gold said hitting the milestone was like a weight off [of] her shoulders.
“Once I knew how many points I had to get, and once I got that last three, I just felt like everything was lifted off me.”
On Sunday, SU’s match up with Edinboro went down to the wire. Shippensburg found itself neck-and-neck with the Fighting Scots down the stretch, holding on to an uncomfortable 46–45 lead at the start of the fourth.
Then, the lead changed hands 3 times, with Edinboro finally pulling away. Michelle Jahn scored a 3-pointer with 4:45 left, which stretched the Fighting Scot’s lead to five, and SU would draw no closer.
“I don’t know where our focus was tonight,” Trn said.
There was a scary moment around the two-minute mark of the fourth when Gold went down on a drive to the basket. She spent a moment on the floor before being helped off, and eventually sat for the remainder of the game. When asked if she was ok, she just smiled and nodded.
“It’s been a focus all season,” Trn said. “We have got to do the job rebounding. It takes no skill to be a good rebounder. It takes heart and effort.”
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