CLARION, Pa. - The Clarion men's basketball team got off to a slow start and was unable to catch up, falling 79-66 at home to Shippensburg University, Wednesday night.

Clarion (2-6, 1-4 PSAC), playing their second of back to back home games, fell behind early and trailed the Red Raiders at the half, 48-24.

Shippensburg played up to their solid reputation on defense, coming into the game having allowed an average of just 68 points.  Clarion had been averaging 71 points per game on offense, but shot just 44% from the floor on Wednesday. 

The Golden Eagles shot better in the second half, where they went 17 for 32 (53%) including 6 of 9 from the charity stripe.

Clarion was led once again by sophomore guard Khari Williams, who registered his first double-double of the season with a game-high 18 points on 6 of 14 shooting, while also pulling down 12 rebounds. Stevan Rodriguez had a strong showing as well, coming off the bench to add 18 points and eight rebounds, while junior big man Jonathan Williams added 11 points and three blocks in 22 minutes of action.
 
The Raiders were paced by sophomore guard Jake Biss who knocked down 7 of 19 from the floor for 18 points, while dishing off a game-high seven assists.

Head Coach Marcess Williams and his squad will have a 10 day break before they are back in action at the Student Recreation Center. They will take on Penn State-Fayette on December 30^th in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off against the Nittany Lions is slated for 5 PM