Shippensburg University women’s basketball’s historic season ended with a first-round exit against Mercyhurst University in an NCAA Atlantic Regional Quarterfinal, 63–51 on March 10.
After battling through early struggles, head coach Kristy Trn had to refocus her team for it to live up to its potential. The Raiders became a well-rounded team, using the offensive weapons they had to create a better balance throughout the lineup. The team developed into a group that played for each other, and the results were immediate for SU.
The team tore through the rest of its schedule, dominating the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East with a perfect 16–0 record. SU reeled off a school-record 19 wins in a row to secure the top seed in the PSAC East, and won the first leg of the PSAC Tournament with ease before stumbling against the eventual champions, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“I’m extremely proud of how they were able to turn it around, how they were able to decide they were going to be an unselfish team and really try to leave a legacy as a group of seniors to say ‘we were here and we accomplished something,” Trn said. “They did that.”
The Raiders’ historic season gave the team a fourth seed and a berth in the Division II NCAA Tournament against Mercyhurst, an opponent SU had not played yet this season.
The Raiders were fired up to start, and the team put up a solid showing in the first half despite sitting two of its five starters due to foul trouble.
The second half was not smooth sailing, as the Lakers’ offense exploded, outscoring SU 22–6 in the third quarter.
The absence of senior guard Logan Snyder, who was injured in the PSAC Semifinals, was apparent as Shippensburg struggled to climb back into the game.
SU’s Colleen Young led the team with 15 points and several timely 3-pointers, but the team just could not break out of its funk. Mercyhurst closed out the game to end the Raiders’ season earlier than the team had hoped, but Shippensburg’s NCAA Tournament appearance added another bullet to this team’s historic resume.
“They were PSAC East Champs [with a record of] 16-0 undefeated, they helped us qualify for the NCAA tournament as a number four seed for the first time in 15 years,” Trn said. “I can’t say enough about that.”
One off game does not define this team’s season, though.
The Raiders bounced back after sitting at 5–5 early in the season, flipping the script entirely to reach the NCAA Tournament.
“It says a lot about them as players and how they’ve all fought through their whole careers to come out and try to accomplish something and it also says a little about how they were unselfish throughout the season,” Trn said.
SU will graduate seven seniors on the team, with five breaking the 1,000-point plateau.
Stephanie Knauer will finish her Shippensburg career eighth on SU’s all-time scoring list, while Morgan Griffith sits third all-time in rebounds, after adding a season-high 16 in Shippensburg’s loss to Mercyhurst. All five starters finish their careers in the Top 22 in scoring in SU history.
“They have a lot to be proud of,” Trn said.
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