The Shippensburg University men’s basketball team clinched a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament berth with a resounding 96-72 victory over Mansfield on Senior Day Saturday at Heiges Field House.

Shippensburg (13-13, 8-11 PSAC) shot a season-best 57 percent from the field, including 64.3% in the first half, to withstand a hot-shooting start from Mansfield (3-23, 2-18) before pulling away.

Redshirt junior Michael Dickson went off against his former team, netting a game-high 25 points on a white hot 9-of-11 from the field, or 82%. He also dished out six assists.

Mansfield temporarily kept pace with the Raiders thanks to a 46.2 first half three-point percentage, as the two teams combined for 12 three-point makes before halftime.

The Raider lead was just one, 19-18, before a 7-0 run capped by a Dickson fastbreak bucket opened up an eight -point advantage, 26-18, and facilitated a Mountaineer timeout with 8:34 remaining in the first half.

Shippensburg upped its lead to 12 by halftime and did not look back.

Senior Timmy Conner scored 19 points, including 14 in the first half and a 4-of-9 night overall from beyond the arc. 

Senior Denzel Figueroa nearly had a double-double, contributing 11 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Sophomore Jaydon Smith was the fourth Raider to finish in double figures, scoring 11.

Redshirt junior Markus Frank scored nine points in limited minutes in his return from injury.

Shippensburg’s men’s basketball Head Coach Chris Fite said he felt the team’s energy was better defensively in the second half after a closer first half which helped tip the scale in the Raiders favor.

Figueroa said in the locker room the team harped on defense and that carried over onto the offside side of the ball.

With the win, the Raiders clinched a PSAC Tournament berth for the second straight season, and for the 10th time overall under Fite. They are locked into the No. 5 seed with only two regular season games remaining, with their first-round opponent still yet to be determined.

With two games remaining in the regular season, SU is hoping to make a deep run in the playoffs. 

“We want to win every game that we play,” Fite said. “We want to have momentum going into the playoffs, but we still have a lot to prove and a lot of work to do.” 

“We’re trying to build momentum,” Figueroa said. “We feel like we could play with the best of them. We could really upset any team honestly, so just each day come back in and work as hard as we can.”

The 2025-26 SU men’s basketball senior class, consisting of Conner, Figueroa and Trey Martin, was recognized prior to tip off. 

Conner currently ranks 15th all-time in program history with 120 made threes, Figueroa is tied for seventh all-time in career blocks with 81, and Martin is a four-year starter and standout contributor on the defensive end.

“It’s been an honor, stepping foot here and with the legacy left by all the other players,” Figueroa said. “Four years fly by quick, so I just took each and every day and was grateful for this opportunity.”

The Raiders wrap up their regular season schedule against Shepherd on Wednesday at home at Heiges Field House at 8 p.m. They will then travel to Lock Haven on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip off. 

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