SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team got off to a quick start on the road on Friday night, but Clarion could not keep pace with Shippensburg in falling 78-52 at Heiges Field House.
 
The final score of the game belied its start, as the Golden Eagles went toe-to-toe with the formidable Raiders for much of the opening 20 minutes. Justice Easter gave the Golden Eagles a 6-4 lead with a layup at the 16:54 mark of the period, and Mekhi Reynolds briefly put the Golden Eagles ahead 9-7 with a three-pointer. Clarion rallied from a 6-2 Shippensburg run to re-take the lead, with Jihad Simpson draining a trey at the 13:15 mark to make it 14-13.
 
Madior Seye followed that up with a layup at 12:20 remaining, taking a feed from Gerald Jarmon and tossing it in, and Reynolds gave the Golden Eagles an 18-15 lead at the 11:04 mark with a midrange jumper.
 
The Golden Eagles led until there was under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, when Carlos Carter put the Raiders ahead 19-18 on a drive and make. Easter pulled Clarion as close at 30-28 with a three-pointer at the 4:23 mark, but that would be the last time the half was that close as Shippensburg went on a 10-0 run.
 
The Raiders showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, pushing their lead to 20 points just over four minutes into the half with a three-pointer by Carter. The lead hovered above that mark for the remainder of the game as the Raiders controlled the action.
 
Reynolds finished the game with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, while freshman Fray Nguimbi added a team-high six rebounds and a steal. Easter and Jarmon each finished with eight points apiece. Read Full Article