Complete Game Notes
GAME INFORMATION
No. 3 East Millersville (19-10) vs. No. 2 East West Chester (19-7)
Hollinger Fieldhouse, West Chester, Pa.
PSAC Tournament Site/Brackets
MEDIA INFORMATION
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)
Live Stats
TICKET INFORMATION
General Admission: $7
Students: $2
MU Students: FREE with valid ID
SERIES INFORMATION
Series vs. WCU: 96-92
Series Streak: WCU, 1
First Meeting: 1903 (WCU 30, Ville 10)
Last Meeting: 2013 (WCU 79, Ville 63)
Last 10: 5-5
Fred Thompson vs. WCU: 14-18
Damien Blair vs. Millersville: 5-5
GAME NOTES
· Millersville and West Chester are long-standing rivals with the all-time series split at 96-92 in favor of Millersville. Millersville and West Chester have met just twice before in the PSAC Tournament, and both games were played in Hollinger Field House. The Marauders won the 2005 meeting in overtime by a 61-54 score and the Golden Rams won the 2000 game by a 91-68 score. Millersville reached the PSAC Championship game in 2005 and finished 12-15 in 2000. Home court advantage has always been important in the series with the home team winning 24 of the last 31 games. This season, however, each team won on the road. Millersville has won only three of the last 19 games in Hollinger.
· This Coach
Fred Thompson's ninth trip to the PSAC Tournament. Millersville is 19-15 all-time in the PSAC Tournament with five championships in the tournament era (1981-present). Among all PSAC schools, Millersville with 10 PSAC Championships ranks second only to Cheyney. Since Thompson took over at Millersville in 1998-99, only three PSAC East teams have won the PSAC Championship and two of those belong to Millersville. Thompson has made five consecutive appearances with at least one win and boasts a 10-5 tournament record. West Chester is making its third PSAC Tournament appearance in Damien Blair's five seasons at the helm. The Golden Rams reached the PSAC Championship game a season ago. Since the PSAC Tournament started in 1983, the Golden Rams have made 15 tournament appearances but have never won a tournament title. Carl Johnson was a key to last season's tournament run, scoring 15.7 points per game in the playoffs.
· Anthony Coleman's 36 points Saturday against Shippensburg was the most points ever scored by a Marauder in a PSAC Tournament game and the most by a Marauder in a regulation game since Gerald Redding's 36 in 2003. Coleman scored 30 in the second half alone. In two games last week, Coleman scored 61 points on 65.5 percent shooting from the field and 22-of-26 shooting from the free throw line. He now has three 30-point games in his career--one of which came against West Chester in 2012.
· Elijah Obade may be the key to Millersville's success against West Chester. In the first meeting, he scored 15 points despite playing only 26 minutes. In the loss, however, he scored four points and attempted a season-low one shot from the field in 30 minutes. Millersville 14-3 when Obade scores at least 10 points and 18-3 when it holds scores more points in the paint than its opponent. While he leads the PSAC in rebounding at 11.2 per game, Obade has averaged just 7.0 rebounds per game against West Chester this season. He also recorded four fouls in both games.
· West Chester handed Millersville one of only three home losses this season, and while the Marauders were outstanding in Pucillo (13-3), the road to the PSAC Championship is on the road. Millersville is 6-6 on the road including a 6-5 record against PSAC opponents. The Marauders score more (71.9) and shoot better (42.9) on the road, but are allowing 10.7 points per game more on the road, and allowing teams to shoot 41.9 percent from the field (37.8 at home) and 33.5 percent from three (26.7 at home). This is key as the Marauders are 15-0 when shooting a higher percentage that their opponent. In Thompson's three trips to the PSAC title game, six wins have come away from Pucillo.
ABOUT WEST CHESTER
· West Chester finished the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the PSAC. The Golden Rams won nine of its final 11 games after Millersville won 68-64 in Hollinger Fieldhouse on Jan. 19. West Chester is the No. 2 seeed from the PSAC East, but it had an opportunity to be the top seed. A 92-83 loss to Cheyney in the regular season finale bumped the Golden Rams out of the top spot. West Chester is 16-4 since starting 3-3, but oddly, it is just 8-5 at home this season. Since being held to 64 points by the Marauders, West Chester has not scored fewer than 74 since and has topped the 80-point mark five times. The offense is incredibly balanced with four players averaging double-figures but no player averaging more than 11.6. West Chester's scoring offense (75.8) ranks second in the PSAC, but it ranks 13th in field goal percentage and 15th in 3-point field goal percentage. The Golden Rams take care of the basketball, ranking second in turnover margin, and understand their strengths, taking the second-fewest threes in the PSAC.
