Shippensburg University’s women’s basketball team played two games this past week, suffering a 65-61 overtime loss to Millersville on Wednesday and beating West Chester 67-45 on Saturday. 

Shippensburg went down to the wire at Millersville (12-9, 8-7) on Wednesday night but came up just short in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division setback to the Marauders at Pucillo Gymnasium.

The game was back and forth, as the lead was not greater than seven points in a game that featured 10 lead changes and eight ties.

Sophomore Abbie Johns finished with a team-high 14 points and a career-high seven rebounds in 43 minutes of action. She added two assists and two steals.

Sophomore Michelle Olak made it nine games in a row in double figures, scoring 12 points while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. She also matched her career high with three blocks.

Sophomore McKenzie Thomas delivered her fifth double-digit scoring performance of the season, with her 13 points being her most in the last nine contests. Thomas added six rebounds and matched a career high with three steals.

Freshman Melana Eyer was a highly efficient 3-of-4 from three-point range, totaling 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds.

Both teams shot 32 percent from the field. The Marauders finished the game 23-of-30, 77%, at the free-throw line, while the Raiders were 8-of-12, or 67%.

On Saturday, SU used a second half surge to defeat West Chester in a PSAC East  battle on Alumni and Pink Day Saturday afternoon at Heiges Field House

Shippensburg (3-20, 2-14) led West Chester (10-12, 6-10) by as many as 25 points in the second half following a low-scoring first half that featured six ties and six changes. 

The Raider duo of Olak and Thomas nearly outscored West Chester by themselves, combining for 42 points while the SU defense held the Golden Rams to a season-best 45 points defensively. 

Shippensburg Head Coach Kristy Trn praised the team for locking down defensively and executing the teams game plan. 

The fourth quarter was all one-sided as SU began the frame with a 19-4 run to open up a 24-point advantage.

The Raiders shot a scorching 66.7% from the field (8-for-12) in the fourth quarter and 59% (16-for-27) overall in the second half. They shot 80 percent (4-for-5) from beyond the arc during that span.

Olak led the Raiders with 23 points on an outstanding 9-of-10 from the field.

“It feels so good … to come in and get a reward for the hard work means a lot,” said Olak. 

Saturday’s game was her fourth outing of 20 or more points this season. She also pulled down eight rebounds. 

Thomas reached a new career-high with 19 points, highlighted by a 4-for-6 afternoon from beyond the arc. 

She said the team relied on high energy from each other to earn the win and bounce back after Wednesday’s tough overtime loss against Millersville.

The Raiders finished with eight three-pointers on 16 attempts overall on Saturday, one off their season high on Jan. 24 at Mansfield. Meanwhile, the SU defense held the Golden Rams without a three-pointer in the game.

Eyer was the third Raider to reach double figures with 16 points, going 4-of-8 from three-point range in the game. Johns matched her career high with five assists.

SU finished with 15 turnovers, one off its season-low and the Raiders won the points off turnovers battle 14-to-8. 

The win over West Chester snaps a six-game losing streak for Shippensburg. It was their first win over the Golden Rams since January 2023.

The Raiders will travel to Kutztown on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip and then head to East Stroudsburg Saturday for a 1 p.m. game. 

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