Men’s basketball knocks off Seton Hill, 76–69

The explosive Shippensburg University men’s basketball team remains unbeaten, as it defeated the Seton Hill University Griffins, 76–69, to record its seventh-straight victory.

The Raiders had four different players score in double figures in the win.

SU — who holds a 7–0 record overall, and a 4–0 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) — were led by junior Dustin Sleva and Senior Abe Massaley. Sleva scored 25 points going 8-of-8 at the charity stripe and grabbed 15 rebounds to record his sixth double-double in seven games. Massaley, the other leading scorer, recorded 18 points also going a perfect 4-of-4 at the free-throw line and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Junior Justin McCarthur and freshman John Castello were the other two Raiders to have double figures on the night, scoring 17 points and 11 points, respectively. Castello also grabbed 13 rebounds to record a double-double.

The Raiders and the Griffins played a fast paced game from the opening tipoff, exchanging baskets on both ends of the floor. There were six lead changes and the score was tied six times in the first half.

At halftime, the Raiders trailed for the first time this season, 36–35. The Raiders were perfect from the charity stripe shooting 11-of-11 in the first half.

After the intermission, the Raiders opened with a 20–6 scoring run. McCarthur opened the second half with a 3-pointer, which electrified the Raiders offense. The Raiders then went on another scoring run, turning a 1-point deficit, into a 13-point lead. The Raiders shot impressively from behind the arc, shooting 7-of-14 (50 percent) in the second half. SU continued its impressive shooting at the charity stripe going 21-of-25 (84 percent) for the game. Combined with Saturday’s win against IUP, the Raiders shot a spectacular 57-of-65 at the free-throw line (80 percent).

The Raiders recorded their largest lead of the game by 16 points with four minutes remaining in regulation. Although the Raiders were held to only two points with four minutes left to play, their lead proved to be too much for the Griffins to overcome.

SU will return to action Saturday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. when it travels to California to take on California University of Pennsylvania, who are sitting 2-7 overall and 0-4 in the PSAC.