NEWARK, Del. - - A strong second half propelled Shippensburg to a 90-74 nonconference victory over the Wilmington University men's basketball team on Wednesday night, spoiling the Wildcats 2024-25 home debut in the WU Athletics Complex.
The Raiders (1-2) shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half, hitting 6-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc. The Wildcats (1-2) took their largest lead of the game early in the second half, but had it taken away with a big Raiders' run to turn the tide of the contest.
Justin Perez sprung the Wildcats to an early 8-2 lead, hitting a pair of three-points. The Raiders raced back however, going on a 11-2 run to take the lead, 13-10. Down seven, the Wildcats got a jumper from Manir Waller, a three-pointer by Perez, and a layup from Hamahrie Bowers to tie the game, 19-19. But again, the Raiders swung momentum, taking as large as a nine-point lead in the half, 31-22, before a late push by the Wildcats before the break. A personal 7-0 run by Justin Perez brought the Wildcats to within 31-29 at the halftime break.
Izaiah Credle sparked an 8-0 run early in the second half with a three-pointer, following by a Perez steal and layup, and a Skip Burton three-pointer to give the Wildcats their largest lead of the game, 41-34, with 17:18 showing on the clock.
The Raiders quickly cut into the lead once again, taking the lead at 43-42 before leading 50-42 at the end of a 16-1 run in just 3:45 of game time. Free throws from Bowers and Denim Perkins had the Wildcats to within five, the Raiders quickly took their first double digit lead of the game moments later. Another 8-0 spurt pushed the Raiders to a 65-49 lead and then they took their first 20-point lead, 76-56, with 6:25 to play. The Wildcats got it down to as few as 14 points, but it was too little too late for the Wildcats.
Justin Perez finished with 21 points for the Wildcats, hitting 5-of-6 from three-point land and 8-of-10 from the floor overall. Izaiah Credle scored 13 points while Manir Waller finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Shippensburg's Markus Frank scored 29 points while Timmy Conner shot 6-of-9 from deep and finished with 22 points.
Wednesday was the first of five straight against PSAC opponents, as they now take to the road for the final four games. They start on Saturday at West Chester with a 3:00 p.m. opening tip.
