Millersville, Pa. - Millersville men's basketball now knows it will be playing in the postseason and it put itself in prime position for a first round home game with Wednesday's 74-69 win over visiting Shippensburg.
Sam Light's 18 points led five Marauders (14-13, 10-11) in double figures. Shippensburg (12-12, 8-12) received 44 points combined from Dylan Edgar and Jay Hardy, but Millersville had an answer for every Raider run down the stretch. Millersville committed a season-low eight turnovers hit 14-of-16 free throws to improve to 10-4 at home.
The Marauders turned a 35-34 halftime lead into a 46-38 advantage on a 3-pointer from
Eddie Callender five minutes into the second period. The Marauders led by as many as nine after
Sam Light's triple with 10:13 to play. Shippensburg, however, slashed Millersville's lead down to 63-61 with four minutes to play, and the Raiders had a chance to take the lead on its next possession. Hardy missed a three and
Shawn Williams made the Raiders pay for the miss with a three of his own at the other end.
Shippensburg drew within 68-66 with 50 seconds left on Abe Massaley's three-point play. With the outcome still in the balance,
Tavon Parker drew a foul with 22 seconds left on a drive to the hoop. Parker missed both free throws but
Anthony Moe hauled in an offensive rebound that kep Millersville in possession. He kicked the ball out to Light, who was immediately fouled, and the 87 percent free throw shooter canned both. Another 3-pointer miss from Hardy and two more foul shots from Williams sealed the win for Millersville.
The Marauders' bench outscored Shippensburg's by a 28-2 margin.
Demerik Weglinski provided 10 of those with a career night off the bench. He also grabbed a season-high seven rebounds. Light's 18 also came off the bench. He hit two threes and all eight foul shots. Williams made all four of his freebies and totaled 13 points. Parker made four threes in a row in the first half and finished with 14 points.
Millersville's regular season finale comes on Saturday against Bloomsburg in Pucillo Gymnasium. Tip is set for 3 p.m.
