Raiders women’s basketball team defeats St. Mary’s, advances to day two of tournament

Shippensburg University’s women’s basketball team (2-5, 0-2) competed in the St. Mary’s Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 29, at the Bill Greenhey Arena in San Antonio, Texas. The team beat St. Mary’s at their first home game.

The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Raiders on the first day of the two-day classic. Senior Taja Colbert scored a layup, leading the team to win by 2 points with just 3.6 seconds remaining.

During the first quarter, the Raiders trailed by four points. The team quickly shifted to take the lead 25-24 by the end of the second quarter.

The Raiders kept their momentum during the third quarter pushing their lead by six points.

The Rattlers picked up their offensive momentum as Imani Ivery, guard for St. Mary’s, shot a field goal. Brook Kleinig made a layup to shrink SU’s lead.

Lena Newby created an opportunity for the Raiders to continue their advantage after two consecutive fouls. The Raiders took the largest lead of the game with three minutes left at eight points and closed the quarter ahead by six.

During the fourth quarter, St. Mary’s doubled down on offense and closed the lead to 52-51 with 1:03 on the clock. The Raiders remained steady and focused. As the shot clock began, the Raiders pushed back, as Alexia Buie shot a layup to retake the lead at 53-52. Both teams continued battling, and the score was tied at 16 seconds remaining. Colbert scored the winning point for the Raiders with just 3.6 seconds left on the clock, earning a 57-55 win.

“It felt great if you have the opportunity not to go to overtime you take it, so I saw an opening in the offense, and I took a shot that I’ve taken a thousand times and it went in,” Colbert said.

The Raiders were paired against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Javelinas held a strong defense throughout the game, winning 52-38.

The Raiders kept a steady beat throughout the first half of the game but faced many turnovers leaving several openings for the Javelinas. The Javelinas scored 17 points from turnovers.

The Raiders were never in position to take the lead, leaving Texas A&M-Kingsville to win by 14. Colbert said, “As far as the response to pressure, we just need to make quicker decisions, and we need to move the ball around more. Once we do that it’ll open up opportunities for everyone, including more post-ups.”