Millersville, Pa. - Millersville had already proved it could win a game by scoring in the 90s. On Saturday, it showed it could win a game with a score in the 50s. Gannon came to Pucillo Gymnasium Saturday and slowed the pace, but the Marauders were game for the challenge and won a physical, 56-46 decision for its fifth-consecutive victory.
Freshman
Justin Nwosu scored 17 of his career-high 19 in the first half. The Marauders shot 48.8 percent from the field and held Gannon to 37.0 percent shooting. The defensive effort was key to overcoming 3-for-14 shooting from three and an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers--the Marauders' most in the last eight games. ne season ago at Gannon, the Golden Knights out-rebounded the Marauders 42-20 and blew the Marauders out by 26. Millersville head coach
Casey Stitzel said his team was ready for the physicality this time around.
"Playing IUP and West Chester really helped us prepare to play a team like Gannon," said Stitzel. "They're all big, physical teams. But we did a good job of not backing down and we didn't let them push us around. Last year they bullied us, but our guys remembered that and did a great job adjusting to them."
A fast start proved to be the difference. The Marauders scored the game's first eight points and built a 16-2 lead, getting 10 points from Nwosu and four from
Caden Najdawi in the opening seven minutes.
"We were engaged," said Stitzel. "Our returners remembered what Gannon did to us last year and there was a really good atmosphere in the gym. Our defense was on it. We did a great job of adjusting to the style that Gannon plays."
Gannon did manage to cut Millersville's lead to 25-20 with 1:22 to play, but the Marauders closed the half on a 5-0 run that included a steal and fast break three-point play from
Mekhi Hendricks. The Marauders opened the second half on an 11-2 run that included a pair of threes from
Marcus Adkison. The 19-point lead with 16:07 was too much to overcome from the deliberate Golden Knights.
"We got some big stops when they cut the lead to five," said Stitzel. "I felt good with a 10-point lead at halftime. Nobody in the East, except maybe West Chester, plays like Gannon. It can take some of the younger guys time to adjust to that physical style of play. When they tried to make a run, we stopped them. Even when they did score it took them about 25 seconds on the shot clock to score. It's tough to come back from a double-digit deficit when you play like that."
Millersville also held its own on the glass. Gannon entered the game averaging 16.2 offensive rebounds per game and ranked second in the PSAC in rebounding margin. Millersville held the Golden Knights to just three offensive boards in the first half and was out-rebounded by just a 31-28 margin. Gannon totaled just eight second-chance points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Nwosu made 8-of-11 shots and also added a game-high three steals and five rebounds.
• Adkison scored 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting and Najdawi totaled 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
• Millersville, ranked second in the PSAC and 15th in Division II in turnovers forced, induced 20 Gannon turnovers. It was the sixth time Millersville has forced 20 or more this season.
NOTES
• Millersville has won five in a row for the first time since 2012 and has won five consecutive PSAC games for the first time since 2008.
• Millersville improved to 6-11 all-time against Gannon but has won three of the last four match-ups.
• Adkison recorded a steal for the 18th consecutive game. Najdawi had two blocks, giving him at least one in each of the last seven games. Najdawi has also scored in double figures and totaled at least nine rebounds in nine of his last 14 games.
QUOTABLE
"Justin was unbelievable today. I've been on him. I didn't like how he played against Lock Haven. But he came back yesterday at practice and was very aggressive and had a lot of energy and he brought that into today's game. He did well in terms of scoring, but he was unbelievable on defense. They went at him and he got some big rebounds. I thought this was his best game of the year on both offense and defense.." -
Casey Stitzel
UP NEXT
• Millersville now embarks on a three-game road trip that includes stops in East Stroudsburg, Mansfield and West Chester. The Marauders travel to ESU on Jan. 30 for an 8 p.m. tip.
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