PSAC EAST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Johnson is something else, but unless they have both Carter and Nedrow at something approaching normal Saturday they'll have horrible matchup problems against East Stroud.

I'd love to watch that game. Same time as Mercyhurst at IUP.

You can tell the PSAC isn't into ratings. Lol.

Biggest two games at the same time ... let alone at 3pm.

[WarriorVoice]

I'd love to watch that game. Same time as Mercyhurst at IUP.

You can tell the PSAC isn't into ratings. Lol.

Biggest two games at the same time ... let alone at 3pm.

Multiple screens?? I do it all the time!!!

ESU showed how tough they can be when they shoot well from the 3 pt. line. 13-27 from the arc totally made Shepherd's 2-3 zone defense ineffective.

Also I'm surprised when the announcer's from the other school aren't aware that ESU presses almost all of the time. Jeff Wilson has only been using that system for 19 years.

[jrshooter]

Ship's right, though. The Raiders are severely thin in the frontcourt, and if any of them are out or not producing, the matchups against ESU do not look good.

Of course, I hadn't been expecting Johnson to play like a power forward, which he did last night.

[Ship69]

Ship's right, though. The Raiders are severely thin in the frontcourt, and if any of them are out or not producing, the matchups against ESU do not look good.

Of course, I hadn't been expecting Johnson to play like a power forward, which he did last night.

Luke Nedrow is not usually not Mr. finesse or a firecracker on offense for Ship, but I think fans (myself included) sometimes tend to underestimate his value to the team. Ship has some length when the top 6 are all healthy and playing, but Carter, Sleva, Johnson, and Biss are relatively slim bodies. At 6-7 and well over about 230 pounds, Nedrow is really Ship's only player of the type that Al McGuire used to call "aircraft carries." When the opponent has a wide body, Nedrow is able to bang the boards against them and protect Sleva, Johnson, and the others from foul trouble. When Sleva, not much over 200 pounds, has to guard a large player he is forced to body up to keep the larger guy off the block and often picks up fouls doing it. It was very noticeable against Seton Hill when Nedrow got into foul trouble and and Sleva had to contend with players like the Griffins' 7-foot, 240-pound Jimmy Moon.

Johnson did a great job in a different role Wednesday and enabled Sleva to stay on the court, but Bloomsburg ain't no East Stroudsburg with Carlos Pepin and other large, assorted jumping jacks. At the very least, Ship needs a close to 100 percent Carlos Carter to stay in the game Saturday. I never like to call one against my Raiders, but if Carter and Nedrow are both limited or missing Saturday it's probably going to be a long game for Shippensburg.

[jrshooter]

No Nedrow again as Ship prepares to tip off at ESU. Not a good sign. And I will say, the TV-13 crew does an outstanding, even-handed job. They know Ship's details very well.

[jrshooter]

I would say Ship is well on its way to getting that game back from ESU that got away two Saturdays ago; they're up 39-24 at the break. But the Raiders have shown the propensity to give up second-half runs lately.

Their own 13-0 run in the third quarter of the first half has spelled the story here -- plus the continued emergence of Rashon Johnson, who's just playing at a level above the PSAC at the moment. He has 16 at the half, He and Dom Sleva have nailed three treys each. Ship shooting 57 percent from the floor ... and 67 percent from 3-point land.

Elsewhere, Mansfield -- I said they were better than their record -- is up 31-17 on West Chester midway through the first half.

[jrshooter]

Sure enough, East Strouds with the first 9 points of the second half. 39-33, 15:47 left. Ship VERY sloppy with the ball.

[jrshooter]

Ship back out to a 64-50 lead with 7:44 left. Johnson up to 25 points; freshman Michael Dunn has made some big shots.

[jrshooter]

Ship takes care of business with a quality 72-58 win over East Stroudsburg on the road. Rashon Johnson with 27 points, Biss 18 as the Raiders shoot an even 50 percent from the floor.

[Ship69]

Ship takes care of business with a quality 72-58 win over East Stroudsburg on the road. Rashon Johnson with 27 points, Biss 18 as the Raiders shoot an even 50 percent from the floor.

That's as big a win as Ship has had in a while. i really didn't think they had much of a shot with Nedrow out and Carter hurting, but the other guys picked up the slack. Their reward, though, is another tough game Wednesday, and Najdawi will be tough to handle if they're still without Nedrow. That one-pointer to Kutztown still bites. They'd be in great shape without that.

[jrshooter]

Diabate's minutes today rivaled what Nedrow would have provided, and Johnson's matching the inside defense, with his quickness making up for the lack of girth. Wouldn't mind to have Nedrow back for Wednesday night, of course.

Carter had nothing to bring to the party today. His shoulder must really be bothering him. They were better off with Dunn on the floor.

[jrshooter]

The Mounties might blow that big lead. It's down to 89-87 with 48 seconds left.

Other East games:

Millersville 80, Bloomsburg 74
Shepherd 79, Lock Haven 54

[jrshooter]

Mansfield gets a late 3-point play from Justice Smith, holds off West Chester 94-90.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mansfield gets a late 3-point play from Justice Smith, holds off West Chester 94-90.

Wow

[Ship69]

Diabate's minutes today rivaled what Nedrow would have provided, and Johnson's matching the inside defense, with his quickness making up for the lack of girth. Wouldn't mind to have Nedrow back for Wednesday night, of course.

Carter had nothing to bring to the party today. His shoulder must really be bothering him. They were better off with Dunn on the floor.

I don't think Carter has taken a jump shot since the injury. I think they're mostly sticking him in for length and defense at this point. It was a terrific effort today, but with some tough games coming up and a long stretch on the road in February it's going to get pretty hairy if they don't get something approaching the usual Carter and his 15 points a game. Yeah, would like to see Luke back Wednesday as he's one of the few guys Ship has that can bang with Najdawi.

One thing Ship has going for it is that East Stroud and Millersville have another game, so one of them is guaranteed another loss.