Box Score

Millersville, Pa. - After falling behind early, the Millersville men's basketball team cranked up the defensive intensity in the second half and rallied to within one point of homestanding Philadelphia with 30 seconds left. The Rams, however, would hold off the Marauders' charge and send Millersville to a 67-61 defeat Tuesday afternoon.

The Marauders (4-5) trailed by as many as 13 and were behind 30-23 after a sluggish first half in which they committed 12 turnovers and shot 8-of-21. Senior Makal Stibbins, who finished with 18 points for the second-straight game, jump-started the Marauders in the second period, scoring six of the team's first eight points which quickly chopped the lead to three.

While the Marauders crept to within one point at the 15:54 mark on a layup by Jason Blake, the Rams managed to hold on to the advantage and even boosted it back up to 11 with just under 11 minutes left thanks to a 8-0 run. The Marauders, however, kept within striking distance by scoring 11 points off nine Philadelphia turnovers in the second frame.

Millersville matched Philadelphia's run with an 11-2 stretch of their own, cutting the defecit to 52-50 with just over six minutes to go. Still trailing with time ticking away, freshman Mike Seibert cashed two free throws and senior Reggie Bates drilled a 3-pointer to bring the Marauders to within one at 62-61. Millersville, however, came up empty on its next three offensive possessions, and Philadelphia grew the lead using 5-of-6 shooting from the stripe in the final 30 seconds.

Millersville converted 43.1 percent of its shots, while Philadelphia (7-2), which used just six players the entire game, knocked down 22-of-38 shots from the field. Three of the Rams' four threes came in the second half.

Stibbins and McDurfee shared team high honors with 18 points apiece. Stibbins shot 7-of-9 from the field and grabbed three boards but was plagued by foul trouble and he exited the game for good with 3:28 left. McDurfee shot 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep. Bates chipped in 11 points.

The Marauders, having lost four of their last five, will look to bounce back Saturday at Pucillo Gymansium where they are 3-1 this season. They host Indiana (Pa.) at 3 p.m. California (Pa.) visits Millersville on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on MSBN and fans can follow live stats.