Marauders Exorcise Road Demons By Downing Shippensburg, 72-63

Wednesday, February 2

Shippensburg, Pa.

8 p.m.

Millersville University

Shippensburg

Marauders Exorcise Road Demons By Downing Shippensburg, 72-63

2/2/2011 10:29:09 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Shippensburg, Pa. - Using a play-making defense and a 45-point second half, the Millersville men's basketball team roared past Shippensburg 72-63, earning a crucial PSAC East win, its first road win of the year and its first win at Heiges Field House in more than a decade.

Millersville (8-10, 3-4 PSAC East) entered Wednesday's game 0-7 on the road and 0-6 since 1999 at Shippensburg. Sparked by freshman Mike Holley's 19 points and and 26 points off of 25 Shippensburg turnovers, the Marauders stayed in the PSAC playoff race.

Shippensburg shot 46 percent from the field and hit 8-of-16 3-pointers but was undone by Millersville's defense which recorded 13 steals--four by Mike Seibert. The Marauders overcame a sluggish first half (12-of-36) with a lights-out second half (11-of-22), and they also did plenty of damage at the free throw line. After shooting just two foul shots in the first, Millersville knocked down 19-of-22 to finish 20-of-24 for the game. It was the third time in the last four games that Millersville has made better than 80 percent of its free throws.

Millersville trailed 30-27 at the break and seven minutes into the second, the score stood deadlocked at 40. #Anthony Coleman# hit a runner and Seibert knocked down a 3-pointer on back-to-back posessions. In the next three offensive trips, Seibert added two foul shots, Jaymes Miller converted a three-point and Jim Kelleher buried a three to cap a 13-0 run.

Leading 53-40 with 10:52 remaining, the Marauders' lead was safe. Shippensburg closed within four with 4:11 to go, but back-to-back scores by Elijah Obade and Bernard Brown put the lead back to eight. The Marauders pulled away by hitting 11-of-12 foul shots over the final 10 minutes.

In addition to his 19 points, Holley hit 3-of-5 threes, handed out four assists and recorded three steals. Miller finished with 11 points and Seibert and Demond Vance scored 10 apiece.

Millersville faces another important PSAC East match-up on Saturday when it hosts Bloomsburg at Pucillo Gymnasium. Bloomsburg topped Millersville in overtime in the PSAC East opener. Game time for Saturday's contest is 3 p.m.