The Shippensburg University women’s basketball team dropped two close games to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) competition on the first weekend in December. 

The Raiders’ weekend began with a game on Saturday afternoon against the Gannon University Golden Knights (5-3, 3-0 PSAC). 

Shippensburg got off to a slow start on Saturday afternoon, and Gannon took advantage, taking the contest 69-60. The Golden Knights played tough defense, resulting in five Raiders turnovers and a meager 14 percent field goal percentage for SU after one quarter of play. 

The Raiders began the second quarter down 14-5, but they did not give up. Led by senior center Kristin McGeough and freshman guard Ariel Jones, SU began to fight back. 

However, for every run that Shippensburg put together, Gannon had a response. Gannon shot 4-11 from 3-point range in the first half, and that played a big part in why they went into the half, up 29-21. 

The third quarter was much of the same, as SU kept trying to get back into the game just for Gannon to hit a couple of shots in a row to widen the deficit. The Raiders went into the final quarter of play down 45-38. 

Midway through the final quarter of play, the Raiders made their last effort to get back into the game. 

Freshman forward Kryshell Gordy, who finished with seven points and 10 rebounds, hit two key shots to bring the Raiders within five. However, senior guard Maggie Mitchell hit a three pointer for Gannon with six minutes remaining that put their lead back at six. SU never got the game back to within six, as they fell to Gannon by the final score of 69-60. 

Jones tallied 24 points and McGeough finished with a tremendous 11 points and 15 rebounds in the loss. SU never held a lead in the game, and they struggled to control the ball throughout as they turned the ball over 20 times. 

The Raiders hoped to bounce back on Sunday afternoon when they took on the Golden Eagles of Clarion University (3-4, 0-3 PSAC). 

SU got bit once again by the slow start, this time getting outscored 18-7 in the first quarter. 

The second quarter was much of the same for the Raiders, who just could not get much going offensively. The Raiders finished the half shooting just 21 percent from the field. They went into halftime down 31-16. 

SU came out of the half on fire as it quickly began to cut into the deficit. Senior guard Victoria Blackburn blocked a shot and then followed it up with a layup to make the score 36-26 Clarion midway through the third quarter. 

Jones followed with a made basket while getting fouled, made the free throw and got the game back to single digits for the first time since early in the second quarter. Led by Blackburn’s strong effort in the quarter, Shippensburg outscored Clarion 22-15 and cut the Golden Eagle lead to eight points. 

The Raiders continued their momentum from the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game. However, the offense began to sputter, but the defense kept them in the game. With five minutes left to play, the Raiders were down only three. 

Jones continued her scoring outburst when she made a key shot at the end of the shot clock to cut Clarion’s lead back to one with less than four minutes remaining. 

Clarion guard Jordan Bekelja made a three to push the lead to 53-47 and then a free throw battle ensued. With both teams in the bonus and playing tight defense, a lot of fouls occurred on both sides, sending both teams to the free throw line repeatedly. 

The Raiders cut Clarion’s lead back to four, but their cold shooting in the quarter ended up being their doom. Shippensburg finished the game on a 2-of-8 shooting slump as they lost to Clarion by the final score of 65-59. 

Jones’ 22 points and eight rebounds, Blackburn’s 17 points and three assists, and McGeough’s 10 points and 13 rebounds led the Raiders in the losing effort. 

Shippensburg (1-8, 0-4 PSAC) will look to turn it around when they take on California University of Pennsylvania next Saturday at Heiges Field House. 

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