Box Score

East Stroudsburg, Pa. - It took 10 extra minutes of basketball and a pair of clutch buckets from Jason Blake, but a scrappy Millersville men's basketball squad scratched out an 81-79 double overtime victory at East Stroudsburg Wednesday evening for its first PSAC East win of the season.

The gutsy win was not only Millersville's (7-13, 1-6) first league victory, but it snapped a seven-game skid. It was also the 1,300th win in the history of the program, placing them 11th all-time among Division II programs. East Stroudsburg fell to 13-8 overall and 3-4 in the league with the loss.

The Marauders entered Wednesday's game with a 2-8 road record and were shooting just 38 percent in those games. But those road woes were erased as the Marauders shot a blistering 29-of-55 from the field and held the homestanding Warriors to just 33 percent shooting.

Blake led the Marauders with 21 points, and he scored four of the biggest points of the game. With nine seconds left in the first overtime, he stole a pass and took it the length of floor for a dunk, tying the game at 76 and sending it into double OT.

Then, with the score knotted a 79 in the second overtime, he buried a jumper with 32 seconds left that proved to be the game winner.

The bucket was sweet redemption for Blake as he had missed four-straight free throws prior to the shot which kept East Stroudsburg close.

The two overtime sessions were a test for Millersville. It had lost its only previous overtime game of the season, and the team played the entire game without the services of leading scorer Reggie Bates and lost Makal Stibbins for good with 54 seconds left in regulation. At that point, Stibbins led the team with 15 points and six boards.

While the Marauders entered the game limping, Stibbins set the tone right from the start, giving Millersville a 2-0 lead with a dunk on the team's first possession. Millersville sank six of its first eight shots to race to 13-2 lead. East Stroudsburg whittled the Millersville's lead back to 34-28 with time running out in the first period, but Palmer McDurfee hit a deep 3-pointer to boost Millersville's advantage back to nine at the half.

Millersville frustrated East Stroudsburg's leading scorer Chris Bach into just two first-half points. But Bach took over in the second. He scored 17 points in the second half and with the help of Aaron Pickney and Pat Fleury, the Warriors scored the first seven points of the second period.

He then scored five of the next eight Warrior points to give them a 45-39 lead. With Millersville faltering, veteran Zac Bauermaster caught fire. He drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to retie the game. Two minutes later, he scored a lay-up and another three to put the Marauders up 52-50--a lead they would hang on to until Andy Heimbach made his first field goal of the day with 1:32 left in regulation, tying the game at 68 and sending it to overtime.

In the first overtime, the Warriors looked on the verge of pulling away after two Bach free throws gave them a 76-74 advantage with 54 ticks left. Millersville's Brandon Widener, who finished the game with 15 points, failed to convert on two free throws that would have tied it. But instead of fouling, Coach Fred Thompson let his Marauders play defense and the gamble paid off as Blake's steal and conversion helped the Marauders to five more minutes of basketball.

The two squads combined for just eight points in the second OT. Millersville's five points came on a three from McDurfee with 3:12 left and Blake's jumper with 32 seconds left.

With Stibbins out, Earl Seymour played some key minutes in the overtime sessions. He matched up on Bach and did not allow him to take a single field goal attempt in double overtime. Seymour also added four points and a career-high six rebounds.

Blake scored his 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and he contributed six boards. Bauermaster finished with 12 points and hit 3-of-6 3-pointers. McDurfee chipped in 11 points and a game-high six assists. Widener, Blake and McDurfee all played over 46 minutes of action.

The Marauders will look to put together back-to-back wins and avenge an early season loss to West Chester Saturday at Pucillo Gymnasium. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.