Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
Philadelphia (4-2) at Millersville (3-0)
Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 - 3 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.

COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stats

TICKETS
Adults: $6.00
Students: $3.00
Millersville Students: Free with I.D.

ABOUT THE GAMES
• The Millersville has started its season 3-0 for the second time in three seasons but just the fourth time in the 12-year tenure of head coach Fred Thompson. The Marauders opened the season with two victories at home over Penn State Abington and C.W. Post, and on Monday, they topped University of the Sciences in Philadelphia 61-50 in the team's first road test of the year. The Marauders return to the friendly confines of Pucillo Gymnasium and host the Philadelphia Rams, which enter Saturday's contest with a 4-2 record.
• So far this season, Millersville has been sparked by the outstanding play of senior guards Jason Blake and Palmer McDurfee. Both are averaging better than 12 points per game. Philadelphia boasts an impressive trio of scorers led by Malcom Ingram, who is averaging 19.2 points and 8.3 boards per game. Millersville and Philadelphia have both stingy on defense, as both teams are holding opponents under 42 percent shooting from the field and are allowing fewer than 62 points per game.
• Saturday's games will be broadcast live on the Marauders Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN). Fans can access the broadcast on www.millersvilleathletics.com. Live stats for the contest can be accessed at www.millersvilleathletics.com.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Philadelphia returns four starters from a squad that went 24-6 a year ago, and the program has reached three-straight NCAA Tournaments. Last year's team won the CACC Championships as well. That team also ranked second in Division II in scoring defense, and it has picked up right where it left off, allowing just over 59 points per game and is holding opponents to 38.1 percent shooting from the field.
• Philadelphia opened the season in Orlando, Fla., an d lost a two-point decision to Lake Superior State and a three-point game to Southwest Baptist on consecutive days. Since then, the Rams have reeled off four wins in a row including a 77-50 stomping of St. Thomas Aquinas in their last game. The Rams have not allowed more than 67 points in a game this season and have held opponents to fewer than 60 points three times.
• The Rams are paced by Malcom Ingram, who ranked second in the CACC in rebounding and 10th in scoring last year. He was recently named CACC Athlete of the Week. Russell Frederick is also a capable scorer, averaging 17.7 points per game. He is also shooting 35.7 percent from 3-point range has totaled 21 assists to just 12 turnovers.
• Philadelphia Coach Herb Magee is the all-time leader among Division II coaches in victories. Now in his 43rd season, he has totaled an 880-346 record and has led 24 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams have also posted 12-straight winning seasons and six-straight seasons win at least 20 wins.

THE SERIES
• Philadelphia holds a 7-1 edge in the all-time series that dates back to 1962. Philadelphia won the first six meetings, but current coaches Fred Thompson and Herb Magee have faced just twice, splitting the two meetings. Millersville won 54-48 in 2007-08, but Philadelphia won last year's meeting at home, 67-61.
• In last year's meeting, Millersville fell behind by seven at the half and rallied to within one point twice during the second half. With 30 seconds remaining, the Marauders were behind by just one point, but the Rams pulled away by hitting 5-of-6 free throws and captured a 67-61 win over the Marauders. Philadelphia shot 57.9 percent while Millersville hit just 43 percent of its shots.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• Points were tough to come by, but Millersville got them when it needed it most and gutted out a hard-fought 61-50 victory at University of Sciences in Philadelphia Wednesday evening.
• Millersville improved to 3-0 on the season and 3-0 all-time against USP with the victory. It was Millersville's first road test of the season, and it passed thanks to its defense that held USP to 18-of-45 shooting from the field and 2-of-9 from 3-point range.
• The offensive attack featured a balanced scoring effort led by three players in double figures. Senior Palmer McDurfee scored 12 points, hitting 7-of-9 from the free throw stripe. Mike Seibert came off the bench to score 11 points, and he also tallied three assists. Newcomer Jim Kelleher dropped a career-high nine, including three 3-pointers that helped the Marauders crack a frustratingly stingy USP zone in the first half.
• Senior Jason Blake not only scored in double figures for the third time in as many games with 10, but he continued to provide a playmaking presence that helped the Marauders pull away late.

DOUBLE UP
• Senior Jason Blake has scored in double figures in each of the team's first three games, and it is the first time in his career he has accomplished that feat. In his 30 career games, he has scored in double figures 12 times, and the Marauders are 9-3 in those games. He is one of only three players on the roster that have scored in double figures in at least three straight games. Palmer McDurfee accomplished the feat in the first three games of the 2008-09 season, and Brandon Widener hit put together strings of three-straight games twice last season.
• In the last three seasons, only three players—Blake, McDurfee and Reggie Bates—have opened the season with double figures in each of the first three games.

CASHING IN
• Millersville struggled from the free throw line a year ago, ranking 13th in the PSAC at 60.7 percent. So far this year, the Marauders have hit 68.3 percent of its free throws. Against C.W. Post, the Marauders sank 27-of-34 free throws, marking the team's best percentage when shooting more than 30 free throws since sinking 28-of-33 against East Stroudsburg on Feb. 21, 2004. Palmer McDurfee and Jason Blake have combined to hit 17-of-17 free throws in the game. Since 2003, no Millersville teammates have been perfect on as many attempts.
• More impressively, the Marauders have hit 39-of-54 free throws (72.2 percent) in the second half of games this season, and are a near-perfect 14-of-16 from the line in the final minute of games.

EXTRA SESSIONS
• Millersville earned an overtime victory over C.W. Post in the second game of the season, improving Millersville to 16-12 under Fred Thompson in overtime games. Millersville has won at least one overtime game in 10 of his 12 seasons at the helm. The team played no overtime games in 2002-03 and the 2005-06 squad, which finished 10-17, was 0-3 in overtime.
• Millersville has won its last two overtime games dating back to last season.

DO-IT-ALL BLAKE
• Jason Blake opened his senior season with an impressive performance, leading his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. His 18 points, eight boards, six assists and five steals were all game-highs, and he matched career highs in rebounds and steals.
• In his 30 games as a Marauder, Blake has displayed an ability to fill up the stat sheet. He has scored in double figures 12 times including a career-high of 21 at East Stroudsburg on Feb. 4, 2009. He has also recorded two or more steals 12 times, four or more rebounds 18 times and three or more assists 14 times.
• His performance against Penn State Abington marked the first time one Marauder has led the team in points, rebounds and assists in a game since Charlie Parker totaled 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Cheyney on Feb. 27, 2008. Greg Testa also performed the feat with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists against Mount Olive in the 2007 NCAA East Regional. Blake's effort was just the third of its kind since the 2004-05 season. Toochi Udeinya turned in two such performances in 2003-04.
• Blake and Parker are the only two players during that span of time to lead their team in points, rebounds assists and steals.
• Dating back to last year, the Marauders are 7-3 when Blake scores in double figures.

SUPPORT STAFF
• Millersville has received some outstanding production from its bench this season. Against the University of the Sciences, the bench scored 33 points—more than half of the team's total—and pulled down 16 of the team's 38 rebounds.
• In the opener against Penn State Abington, the bench produced 27 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Mike Seibert's 16 points led all bench players. Dating back to last season, only Trai Hawkins' 18 points against Mansfield and Seibert's 17 against W.Va. State were better performances by a player coming off the bench.
• Millersville has had one player come off the bench and score double figures in two of the first three games. Jim Kelleher scored a career-high 11 points against University of the Sciences.

PICK POCKETS
• Millersville totaled 11 steals in the season opener against Penn State Abington, marking just the fourth time since the start of the 2008-09 season—a span of 28 games--that the Marauders totaled double figure steals in a game. Five different players recorded at least one steal against Penn State Abington, and along with Jason Blake's five, Mike Seibert and Brandon Widener tallied two apiece.
• Widener's two steals matched a career high and marked the sixth time in his career that he has recorded two in a game. Seibert recorded two steals just one other time in his young career.

DEFENSE IS THE KEY
• Millersville held Penn State Abington to just 62 points in the season opener and University of the Sciences to just 50 points. The Marauders held five opponents to fewer than 62 points last year. The team was a perfect 6-0 in those games. Millersville has won 22 straight games when holding an opponent to 62 or fewer and has not lost a game in which it allowed fewer than 62 since a 53-51 loss at Clarion on Dec. 20, 2005.

MARAUDER MILESTONES
• Millersville's men's basketball program began in 1899 and since then, it has compiled 1,306 wins. Millersville is 11th among all Division II teams in all-time victories and 30th by winning percentage at .618.
• Only two coaches in Millersville men's basketball history have reached the 200-win plateau, and Fred Thompson is only four wins shy of joining John Kochan (285-96) and Richard DeHart (321-298). Thompson could be the second-fastest coach in school history to achieve the milestone. It took Kochan into his ninth season to win his 200th game. DeHart won his 200th game with his third victory in his 15th year.

ADVANTAGE PUCILLO
• Since Fred Thompson took over the program in 1998-99, the Marauders are incredible 116-40 at home in Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders have posted a 34-11 home mark dating back to the 2006-07 season. Maybe even more impressive is the 46-21 PSAC East record during that stretch.

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS
• Millersville was picked seventh in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) 2009-10 Eastern Division Preseason Poll, released Thursday, Oct. 29.
• The Marauders posted a final mark of 4-10, 10-17 PSAC East in 2008-09 and finished sixth in the division.
• Kutztown was chosen as the preseason favorite to win the Eastern Division as it looks for its third straight PSAC East title. Last year, the Golden Bears finished with a record of 13-1 in the conference and 28-5 overall.
• Ranked behind Kutztown was West Chester, which closed out 2008-09 in third place and finished 18-10 overall and 9-5 in the division. Mansfield was picked third, followed by Cheyney and Shippensburg. East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Bloomsburg round out the sixth, seventh and eighth slots.
• Defending PSAC West champion Indiana (Pa.) was picked to repeat as well.