Shippensburg University’s men’s basketball team is on a five-game winning streak after beating conference rivals Lock Haven and Bloomsburg this past week.

On Thursday, the Raiders (11-9, 6-7 PSAC East) faced Lock Haven (7-13, 3-10) at Heiges Field House, posting an 85-69 score in their win.

The Raiders set the tone early, starting off with intensity and aggression. They quickly got ahead with a 13-0 run within the first five minutes, shooting 53% from three-point-range. They headed into halftime with a 51-29 lead.

During the second half, Shippensburg scored 34 points. The team’s effort paid off, as five Raiders scored double digits. Redshirt junior Markus Frank led with 18 points, while redshirt junior Michael Dickson contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. 

Sophomore Jaydon Smith added 17 points, along with five rebounds and six assists. Senior Trey Martin scored 11 points, three of four from the three-point-range. Senior Timmy Conner also finished with 11 points, three of six from the three-point-range.

After the game, Coach Chris Fite, Martin and Smith credited the win to high energy, playing full forty minutes and sharing the ball.

Fite praised the team’s performance. 

“It feels great. It was a really solid team effort on both ends of the court,” said Fite. “Lock Haven has always given us trouble, we lost to them twice last year, they had beaten some good teams this year and so, it was a really good win for us.”

Fite also emphasized the team’s composure during challenging moments. 

“I like how we are not getting caught up in the emotional ups and downs of games, whether things are going really well or things start to go poorly, our guys are keeping the right mindset and taking it one possession at a time,” said Fite.

Smith also highlighted the team’s collective play. 

“I feel like today we definitely shared the ball well,” said Smith. “We had a lot of assists, just sharing the ball well and hitting shots. Just keep doing that.”

On Saturday, SU kept up the momentum going as they faced Bloomsburg (5‑15, 2‑11) at home, posting a 62-45 victory. It was a season-best in points allowed.

The Raiders came out strong, shooting 60% from three-point range in the first half while holding the Huskies to just 20.8% from the field, including 0-for-12 from three before halftime. 

Dickson quickly set the tone, scoring 16 points in the first half. He would finish with a game-high of 19 points shooting 75% from three and contributed three assists.

Dickson’s first three-pointer gave the Raiders a 13-3 lead. With five minutes left, the lead was extended to 29-8. Meanwhile, SU’s defense kept Bloomsburg under 10 points for most of the half.

In the second half, BU cut into the lead, making the score 48-38 with just 11 minutes remaining, but they couldn’t get any closer. SU controlled the game the rest of the way.

The Raiders earned their second consecutive wire-to-wire win. SU’s defense held BU to a season-low 26.9% shooting, outscored the Huskies in the paint (30-16) and took a 14-to-5 advantage in second chance points.

Smith scored 14 points and five rebounds. Frank added 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. Senior Denzel Figueroa contributed on both ends with five points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

The Raiders will play at Millersville Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting West Chester on Saturday, taking on the Golden Rams at 3 p.m. at Heiges Field House.

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