Box Score
Mansfield, Pa. - Millersville and Mansfield stood deadlocked at 72 with exactly one minute to go in Saturday's PSAC Eastern Division regular season finale. Mansfield broke the tie and used a 6-2 run to hand the visiting Marauders a 78-74 defeat.
Mansfield was playing with its postseason hopes on the line. The Mountaineers (15-11, 8-6) needed a victory to earn the No. 4 seed from the East in the PSAC Tournament.
Less than one month ago inside Pucillo Gymnasium, Mansfield erased Millersville's seven-point lead in the final four minutes to come away with a win. Saturday, the Mountaineers did it again. With 4:30 left in the contest, Millersville's
Trai Hawkins hit two of hits career-high 18 points to put the Marauders in front 68-61. Mansfield, however, chipped away at the lead, using a pair of three-point plays and two free throws to cut the margin to 70-69.
Millersville then committed its second turnover in as many possessions, and at the other end, Chris Callahan hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 70, and on the next trip, he scored for two, giving Mansfield its first lead in over seven minutes.
Hawkins reached the foul line and canned both of his attempts to retie the game, but Mansfield scored four unanswered points to build a 76-72 lead.
Makal Stibbins put Millersville to within two on a dunk with five seconds left, but Justin Simmons, who was fouled to stop the clock, sealed the deal by knocking down both free throws.
Both squads played near flawless basketball in the second half. The Marauders hit 17-of-28 shots for 42 points and Mansfield dropped 14-of-24 shots for 41 points. Millersville committed just nine turnovers in the game and only four in the second half.
Hawkins 18 points came on 6-of-12 shooting, and he also tallied a career-high six assists. Stibbins, playing in his final game with the Marauders, posted 19 points and nine rebounds.
Palmer McDurfee added 11 points.
The Marauders closed the season with a 10-17 overall record and a 4-10 conference mark, but they closed the season with four wins in their last eight games and the final two were by a total of nine points.
