The Shippensburg women’s basketball team returned to the court this weekend for the first time in two years.  

On Friday the Raiders opened their season and defeated Virginia Union 80-66. 

The Raiders offense started off well as senior Ariel Jones hit a three on the Raiders opening possession. That would be the beginning of an early 4-0 run for the Raiders. 

The Panthers responded with five quick point of their own which gave them the early lead 5-4. Both swapped leads multiple times.  

The Raiders went on a six-point run to end the quarter and took the lead heading into the second quarter 24-18. The Raiders capitalized the Panther’s mistakes in the first quarter, scoring 12 of their 24 points in the quarter off turnovers. 

In the second quarter, SU started to gain separation from the Panthers. The Raiders continued hitting shots and expanded their run up to 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Raiders were able to take their lead into halftime 46-29. 

During the scoring run Jones scored her 2,000th career point. Jones became the fourth player in SU history to reach the 2,000-point mark.  

In the third quarter, the Panthers scored quickly with two quick jump shots from Taniah Johnson and Bianca Lockamy. The jumpers cut the lead down to 48-33.  

After the run, the Raiders piled on the points and finished the third quarter with the lead 63-50. 

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders finished the Panthers off with 17 points in the frame and went on to defeat the Panthers 80-66. 

Jones finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the game. Senior guard Destiny Jefferson had 18 points, six rebounds and two assists. Junior forward Lauren Mills had ten points in the game and five rebounds. 

On Saturday night, Shippensburg faced off against Bowie State University. The Raiders continued their strong offensive performance and defeated the Bulldogs 79-53. 

The first quarter was back and forth as both teams traded baskets. The Raiders ended the first quarter with a 16-13 lead. 

The second quarter was similar to the first and the Raiders were able to take a three-point lead into the second half. In the second half, the Raiders were able to pull away and take control of the game. The Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 54-40.  

Jefferson led the Raiders in points in the second game of the weekend with 21 points, three rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Lauren Pettis had 19 points in the game. With the wins, the Raiders begin their 2021 campaign 2-0. 

The Raiders are back in action on Wednesday as they face Jefferson University at 6 p.m. at Heiges Field House. 

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