MBSK12-4

ESU-Shippensburg Men's Basketball

EAST STROUDSBURG - The East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team turned in another great effort Saturday, but still fell short in a 61-57 loss to Shippensburg in the consolation game of the 35th Rotary Pocono Classic.

The Warriors took a six-point lead into the last six minutes, but the Red Raiders rallied down the stretch to beat ESU for the second time this season. The first meeting wasn't as close with Shippensburg winning, 69-56.

Rob Smith drained a three-pointer to put ESU ahead, 49-43, before Shippensburg ran off seven straight points, all by Nasser Eggleston, to go ahead, 50-49.

The game was tied at 51 and again at 53 when Tom Roth made a three-point play, putting back an offensive rebound and sinking the foul shot, to put the Raiders ahead for keeps, 56-55, with 1:10 left.

Juwan Justice made a driving layup to pull ESU back within a point with 50 second left, but Eggleston sank one free throw with 34 seconds remaining and two more with 17 seconds to go to wrap it up.

Justice took game scoring honors with 18 while teammate Shahad Abdur Rahkman added 16 and Smith 14. Eggleston led Shippensburg with 14 points while Roth and Marc Harder each had 11.

The win lifted the Raiders' record to 3-4 while ESU is now 0-7.

Shippensburg 61

Banks 1 0-0 2, Nestor 0 1-3 1, Gleason 0 0-0 0, Eggleston 4 6-8 14, Hill 3 2-2 9,

Lester 3 0-0 8, Roth 2 7-7 11, Brown 0 0-0 0, Pearson 2 1-4 5, Harder 3 5-6 11.

Totals: 18 22-30 61

East Stroudsburg 57

Abdur-Rahkman 5 6-9 16, Smith 5 3-5 14, Justice 7 2-4 18, Kostic 0 1-2 1,

Miskar 0 2-2 2, Henderson 2 0-0 4, Lynch 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 14-22 57

Three-Point Goals: Shipp - Lester 2, Hill; ESU - Justice 2, Smith.

Halftime: Shippensburg, 26-21