Complete Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
Millersville (5-10, 3-8 PSAC) at Kutztown (10-5, 7-4 PSAC)
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 - 3 p.m.
Keystone Hall, Kutztown, Pa.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)
Live Stats

SERIES INFORMATION
Millersville vs. Kutztown: 126-71
Series Streak: KU, 6
First Meeting: 1904 (Ville 54, KU 14)
Last Meeting: 2011 (KU 82, Ville 66)
Last 10: KU, 8-2
Fred Thompson vs. KU, 13-14
Bernie Driscoll vs. Ville: 13-10

THE STARTING FIVE
(1) Millersville's bid for three in a row ended Wednesday against East Stroudsburg. Now the Marauders face a difficult task of trying to knock off Kutztown in the Golden Bears' home gym. Kutztown, winners of six in a row, is beginning to distinguish itself as a conference championship contender. Millersville, now 3-8 in the PSAC, is fighting to remain in the playoff race. Four teams, including Millersville, is within a game of the fourth place spot.

(2) Saturday is the 198th meeting between Millersville and Kutztown since 1904. Millersville has played Kutztown more than any other opponent and has won 126 of those meetings. Despite owning a .640 winning percentage in the series, Kutztown has started to dominate the series by winning six in a row and nine of 11 dating to 2004-05. Millersville's last win in the series--and last win in Keystone Hall--came in the 2008 PSAC Quarterfinals by a 99-88 score. Kutztown's current six-game winning streak is the second-longest ever by Kutztown. The only streak longer came from 1960-1965 when Kutztown won 10 straight. None of the last six games eight games have bee particularly close with only one game being decided by fewer than 11 points. Kutztown's average margin of victory during the streak is 16 points per game.

(3) In 2010-11, Millersville was 1-11 on the road, but this season, the Marauders have won three of eight road games while winning just two of seven home games. The Marauders have been outscored 71.4-67.2 on the road. At home, the team is averaging 79.3 points per game but is allowing 82.6. Larry Grant's average at home is 16.1 but it drops to 14.5 on the road. Anthony Coleman has the biggest drop-off, averaging 14.6 at home but 8.4 on the road. Mike Seibert averages 13.8 at home but 9.0 on the road. Only Jaymes Miller (11.3 on the road and 9.6 at home) is better on the road.

(4) Millersville currently ranks 13th in the PSAC in scoring defense, allowing 76.6 points per game. It's the most points per game allowed during Fred Thompson's entire 14 year tenure. The last time Millersville allowed more than 75 points per game for an entire season was in 1992-93 when the Marauders allowed 76.6. That team, however, averaged more than 90 points per game and went 24-6 overall and 11-1 in the PSAC East.

(5) The offensive production of Jaymes Miller seemingly relates directly to Millersville's success. In the Marauders' five wins this season, Miller is averaging a team-best 15.2 points per game, shooting 55.8 percent from the field and has hit 18-of-21 foul shots. In the 10 losses, he's averaged 8.1 points on 49.3 percent shooting and has hit just 8-of-20 foul shots. The Marauders are 4-2 when Miller scores in double figures.

THE GOLDEN BEARS
·    In recent years, Kutztown has emerged as the dominant PSAC Eastern Division team with six consecutive trips to the PSAC Tournament and nine consecutive seasons of at least 15 victories.  The program has also reached the league title game twice in the last three seasons. Kutztown was again picked as the division favorite by the league coaches in the 2011-12 preseason poll. Currently Kutztown is fighting for positioning at the top of the East with a 7-4 league record. It trails frontrunner Bloomsburg by two games in the standings. The Golden Bears have seemingly hit their stride, winning six consecutive games and scoring an average of 88.7 points per game in that stretch. The high octane offense has scored at least 80 points eight times in 15 points and has topped the 90-point mark five times. When teams have managed to hold Kutztown to fewer than 80 points, its record is 0-6.
·     Kutztown is 7-3 at home and is averaging 86.4 points per game in the building--more than seven points better than the road scoring average. It is the league's No. 2 scoring offense and  its +9.9 scoring margin is fourth best. The team is shooting 48.1 percent from the field and is deadly at the free throw line, sinking 76.5 percent as a team. Four of the team's five starters are shooting 73 percent or higher from the line. Kutztown has used the same starting lineup in all 15 games this season. In contract, Millersville has used five different starting lineups.
·     Devon McBride, a senior, who appeared in 17 games last season after transferring from South Carolina State, is leading the Golden Bear offense with 20.1 points per game. He's scored in double figures in all but one game and has hit for 20 or more eight times, including 28 against Cheyney on 6-of-8 threes and 8-of-9 from the line. After that performance, he claimed the top spot among the conference scoring leaders and is the only player in the PSAC averaging more than 20 points per game. Nate Edwards (18.7), Micah Fraction (15.5) and Eric Brennan (13.5) are also dangerous scorers. Each of them has led the team in scoring in at least one game this year.