Shippensburg University’s men’s basketball team staged a second-half comeback Wednesday night, erasing a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat Kutztown 76-70 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Keystone Arena.
The Raiders (9-17, 6-13 PSAC) struggled early as Kutztown (7-18, 3-15) took a 41-31 lead into the break. However, SU’s defense tightened in the second half, holding the Golden Bears to just 25 percent shooting (8-of-32) while outscoring them 45-29.
Redshirt sophomore Markus Frank and freshman Jaydon Smith led the offensive charge with 18 points apiece. Frank, who shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field, played a key role in the comeback, scoring seven straight points during an 8-0 Raider run that cut the deficit and gave SU a 53-52 lead with 10:54 remaining.
Shortly after, the Raiders delivered another 12-2 run, sparked by a pair of Smith three-pointers, pushing their advantage to double digits at 70-60. The two scoring bursts were part of a larger 25-8 surge that sealed the victory.
Junior Denzel Figueroa dominated the boards, grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds while adding nine points and three blocks. Junior Trey Martin contributed 13 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Junior Jalen Bowie added eight points and a team-high five assists.
Kutztown’s Jalen Bryant led five Golden Bears in double figures with 16 points and four assists.
The Raiders will return to action next Wednesday when they travel to face Shepherd. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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