Box Score Millersville, Pa. - Already dealing with the loss of starting guard Brandon Belt, the Millersville men's basketball team suffered another blow this week when fellow starting guard Kemar Williams was lost for the season. Playing with a makeshift starting lineup, the Marauders looked out of sorts Saturday against West Chester and suffered a 79-63 PSAC East defeat in front the Pucillo Gymnasium crowd.

Millersville (15-8, 11-6 PSAC) entered the game trailing West Chester (15-6, 13-4 PSAC) by just one game for the No. 2 seed in the PSAC Tournament, but the Golden Rams put some separation between themselves in the Marauders by giving Millersville back-to-back losses for the first time since the start of the season. The home team had won 24 of the last 30 games in the series, but West Chester improved to 9-1 on the road by shooting 45.9 percent, dominating the interior with a 42-16 edge in the paint, and totaling 18 second chance points on 16 offensive boards.

Saturday's game was a stark contrast to Millersville's 68-64 win at Hollinger Fieldhouse in January. In that game, it was Millersville that controlled the inside with a 36-20 edge in the paint, and Elijah Obade totaled 15 points. This time around, the Golden Rams walled off Obade and limited his touches. He finished with a season-low one field goal opportunity and all four of his points came at the free throw line. Fellow post player Jaymes Miller was limited to three shots.

Without Williams, who had started the last six games and averaged 11.5 points, 5.5 assists and three steals in the last two games, the Marauders struggled to handle West Chester's pressure. The Golden Rams forced Millersville into 21 turnovers, and fill-in point guard Larry Grant, who also led the team in scoring with 16, had six turnovers. Those 21 miscues translated to 23 West Chester points.

West Chester asserted its will early and never trailed. Before the mid-way point of the first half, the Golden Rams led by 14. The Marauders chipped the West Chester lead down to 38-31 at the half, but the visitors opened the second period on a 12-1 run. Millersville never found its offensive rhythm, shooting 41.5 percent from the field. It was buoyed by Nate Bollinger's four threes and 15 points.

After holding 15 consecutive opponents to fewer than 70 points, each Millersville's last two opponents have scored at least 79. Despite a difficult offensive night for Obade, he did total five blocked shots, increasing his PSAC-leading total to 60, leaving him just three shy of the single-season school record set by Antwine Moore in 1995-96.

Already locked is as no worse than the PSAC East's No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, the Marauders have five games remaining to make up ground on the Golden Rams for a first round bye. It starts Wednesday at Cheyney. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m.