Box Score Millersville, Pa. - Following the dismal second half in Tuesday's loss to Gannon, the Millersville men's basketball team seemed determined to dominate the final 20 minutes against Mercyhurst Wednesday. Using an invigorated offense and its usual sticky defense, the Marauders turned a two-point halftime deficit into a 72-60 win over the Lakers.

Millersville (8-3, 4-1 PSAC) hit 12-of-19 shots from the field and 4-of-6 from three in the second half while holding Mercyhurst (6-4, 3-2 PSAC) to only 28 points in the period. It was a marked difference from the previous evening when Gannon outscored the Marauders 43-25 in the last 20 minutes.

Junior Jaymes Miller, who had not scored in double figures in any of the team's first 10 games, provided a spark at both ends from the tip. He hit all nine of his shots for a season-high 18 points, and he generated a career-high five steals. He was a key in the Marauders scoring 21 points off of 24 Laker turnovers. Larry Grant bounced back from Tuesday's 2-for-13 shooting performance by scoring 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting. he also drilled 4-of-7 threes.

Mercyhurst held a 32-30 lead at the half but had scored half of its points from the free throw line with only seven made field goals. Luis Leao carried his team with 21 of its 32 first half points.

Millersville reworked its defense after the half, and using as many as four different players to guard Leao, it held the former All-PSAC West First Team pick to 2-of-7 shooting. With the defense limiting the Lakers to just eight points over the first 14 minutes of the second period, Grant and Miller sparked the offense. Grant buried two triples and Miller scored on an assist from Elijah Obade to lead an 8-2 over the first 3:45 of the second. Grant's second three gave the Marauders a lead it would not relinquish.

Miller scored on back-to-back possessions, Grant hit another three, Brandon Belt converted a three-point play on a slashing drive, Josh Quartmon hit a free throw, and Obade scored following a Miller steal to push the Marauder lead to 51-40 with 10 minutes left.

The lead only continued to grow, and Nate Bollinger's 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:45 remaining pushed the Marauder advantage to its largest of the game at 65-45. The Marauders coasted home, sinking 14-of-18 foul shots in the second half. Grant scored 11 points in the second, and Obade totaled nine of his 11 in the period.

Obade, the PSAC's leading rebounder and shot blocker, totaled eight boards and three blocked shots. Brandon Brown added eight points off the bench.

The win was Millersville's first over Mercyhurst since 1994, and more importantly, it gave the team four wins in its first five league games since 2006-07. Mercyhurst was the seventh Marauder opponent to be held to no more than 60 points.

Millersville now breaks for the holidays, and returns to action on Jan. 4 against Slippery Rock at Pucillo Gymnasium.