SHIPPENSBURG Raiders (2-10, 0-3 PSAC East) AT EDINBORO Fighting Scots (6-6, 0-3 PSAC West)

DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 2013
TIPOFF: 7:30 p.m.
SITE: McComb Fieldhouse
RADIO: WFSE 88.9 FM
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/edinboro/mbball/
 
Game Notes – Shippensburg at Edinboro

Edinboro Season Stats, Shippensburg Season Stats


SERIES RECORD
Edinboro leads 36-13

LAST MEETING
2013-14:  January 4, 2013 - Edinboro 82, Shippensburg 74
Edinboro used a big run late in the first half to collect an 82-74 win at Shippensburg in a PSAC crossover contest. Edinboro trailed 23-16 with 10:55 to play when Bryan Theriot hit a short jumper in the paint.  That would spark a 21-1 Fighting Scot run. Edinboro led 42-28 at the half after Will Marrow nailed a shot from right inside halfcourt. The Raiders responded in the second half with a 13-0 run of their own, but the Scots ultimately made 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory. Jay Fletcher scored 16 points and dished out seven assists. Theriot made 8 of 14 field goals to finish with 16 points and nine boards.  Isaiah Prince added 14 points, while Marrow stuffed the box score with season highs of eight points , five rebounds , 5 steals and 5 assists. Joe Lococo paced Shippensburg with 24 points while making 5 of 9 three-pointers.  Dylan Edgar accounted for 19 points and nine rebounds and Sam Pygatt had 14 points.


 
HEAD COACHES
Edinboro: Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99)
Record at Edinboro: 6-6, 1st year
Career Record: 6-6, 1st year

Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99) is in his first year as head coach of the Fighting Scots, taking over for his predecessor Greg Walcavich, who spent 24 years at the helm of the Edinboro program. Cleary previously worked as an assistant under Walcavich for 16 years, first as a student aide before becoming a full-time assistant coach. He is credited for recruiting many of Edinboro's top contributors in recent years. The first-year head coach takes over a team that finished 18-10 a year ago and reached the PSAC Tournament Semifinals. Cleary has led the Fighting Scots to a 6-6 record so far this season.

Shippensburg: Chris Fite
Record at Ship: 2-10, (1st year)
Career Record: 2-10, (1st year)

Chris Fite (Rochester '92) is in his first year in charge of the Raiders after Dave Springer (144-189 record) coached from 2001 to 2013. From 2006-13, Fite was Joe Lombardi's primary assistant coach at IUP. During that time, the Crimson Hawks compiled a 149-65 record while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in his last five seasons. A 1992 Rochester graduate and a 2005 inductee into the Yellow Jackets Hall of Fame, Fite is the school's all-time leading scorer (2,066 points) and shot blocker (179). His post-collegiate playing career included 11 seasons of professional basketball in Europe.

 PROBABLE STARTERS

Edinboro	Shippensburg
#2 Henri Wade-Chatman (G, 6-2, So.)	#0 Abe Massaley (G, 5-11, Fr.)
#5 Alex Moore  (F, 6-4, Sr.)	#1 Joe Lococo (G, 6-2, So.)
#11 Johnathan Logan (F, 6-8, Sr.)	#4 Tony Ellis (F, 6-5, So.)
#15 Jonny Marsh (G, 6-0, Jr.)	#34 Marcus Williams (C, 6-7, R-Fr.)
#55 Bryan Theriot (C, 6-9, Sr)	#44 Jay Hardy (F, 6-5, So.)

 
 PLAYERS TO WATCH
Edinboro
Bryan Theriot (C, 6-9, Sr.) – earned first team All-PSAC West accolades a year ago after averaging 18.1 ppg. and 8.9 rpg. Was named a preseason All-PSAC choice. Shot 55.4 percent from the floor and 87.2 percent at the line. He leads the team in scoring at 17.9 points per contest, also ranks sixth in scoring average in the PSAC. He is fifth in the league in rebounding average at 8.2 boards per game, and second in the conference in field goal percentage at 61.4 percent (78 of 127). The senior ranks 24th in school history with 1,136 career points and 21st with 564 career rebounds. He also sits at second all-time in career field goal percentage, shooting 59.2 percent from the field for his career (398 of 672).
 
Jonny Marsh (G, 6-0, Jr.)  – is a first-year player for the Fighting Scots after transferring from Niagara County Comm. College. Earned PSAC West Player of the Week honors after posting back-to-back 30-plus point games earlier this season. The junior poured in a season-high 34 points in Edinboro's win at Urbana on Nov. 18, before recording 30 markers in the Scots' loss at Pitt-Johnstown on Nov. 23. Marsh paces the PSAC in 3-pt. field goal percentage at 50 percent (34 of 68) and 3-pt. field goals made per game  with 2.8. The Bronx, NY native is sixth in the conference averaging 3.7 assists per contest. He also ranks eighth in the PSAC in scoring average at 17.9 points per contest.


Shippensburg
Joe Lococo  (G, 6-2, So.) – is the Raiders' leading scorer and ranks second in the PSAC averaging 20.3
points per game. He is also seventh in the conference shooting 48.1 percent from the field. The sophomore had 24 points against Edinboro last season on five of nine shooting from behind the arc. Lococo also leads the Raiders in assists with 38 and steals with 24.


Abe Massaley (G, 5-11, Fr.) – has made an immediate impact as a freshman for the Raiders. He is second on the team in scoring average at 13.2 points per game and assists with 34 for the season. Massaley has scored in double figures in 10 of Shippensburg's 12 games this season.


THE GAME STORIES
• Edinboro plays its last PSAC Crossover contest of the 2013-14 campaign against Shippensburg. The Fighting Scots enter the game against the Raiders following a 69-65 victory at Cheyney on Sunday, January 5th. Edinboro is 2-3 against PSAC East opponents this season, while the Raiders are 1-4. The Fighting Scots finished 4-3 in PSAC Crossover games last season.
• Shippensburg comes in with a 2-10 overall record on the season after a 78-65 loss in its last game against Slippery Rock on January 4th. The Raiders' two victories came against California (Pa.) (72-61) and Chestnut Hill (70-64). Shippensburg is also 0-3 in PSAC East play this season.
• Both Edinboro and Shippensburg are led by first-year head coaches. Pat Cleary is in his first season in charge of the Fighting Scots after 16 years as an assistant coach at Edinboro, while Chris Fite is in his inaugural campaign at the helm of the Raider program. Fite previously spent seven years as an assistant at IUP.
• The Fighting Scots have proved to be one of the top scoring and rebounding teams in the PSAC this season. Edinboro is averaging 78.8 points per game, good for third in the conference trailing only West Chester and East Stroudsburg. The Scots also rank second in the league in rebounding, averaging 43.3 rebounds per contest behind only Slippery Rock.
 
NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS
Saturday, January 11 vs. Slippery Rock – 3 p.m.