The Raiders began the game on a 17-2 run and never looked back as they went on to defeat Cheyney 88-70 in the regular-season finale from Heiges Field House on Wednesday night.
The No. 3 Raiders’ battle with Cheyney (4-23) was over immediately after the opening tip-off. The Raiders landed their first 7 shots of the match and controlled the tempo the entire game. Cheyney never led in the contest and was only tied with the Raiders the first 12 seconds of the game.
The Raiders utilized excellent ball movement to set up plays in the low post and dominated Cheyney in points scored in the paint 46-30. The Raiders’ size advantage allowed them bully and out-rebound Cheyney 36-28. The Raiders continuously capitalized on Cheyney’s inconsistent ball security by scoring 17 points off 13 turnovers.
Both teams shot the ball consistently, as both Shippensburg and Cheyney landed more than 50 percent of shots from the field. Shippensburg’s 53.2 field-goal percentage was its second highest of the season.
Cheyney’s inability to restrain its aggressive play resulted in the team constantly sending Raider players to the line, from which the Raiders scored 17 points.
Five players for the Raider posted double-digit points. Sophomore Logan Snyder led the Raiders in scoring, tying a career-high 19 points.
Junior Stephanie Knauer scored 18 points and grabbed four rebounds, and sophomore Coleen Young scored 17 points while finishing with four points and four steals.
Sophomore Lauren Gold finished the game with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists while redshirt-freshman Victoria Blackburn added another 10 points and three rebounds.
The Raiders’ next test will come against East Stroudsburg in the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Saturday. Shippensburg won both match-ups against ES this season by an average of 14 points.
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