THE MATCH-UP
• After back-to-back road losses, Millersville hosts PSAC East-leading Shippensburg Wednesday. The Raiders have a three-game lead for first place in the division while the Marauders' recent losses have dropped them into fourth place--just a game out of second and a half-game out of third. Millersville is 8-2 at home, and those two home losses came by a total of five points--one of which was in double overtime. Millersville averages 85.3 points per home game while it holds opponents to 73.7 points. The Marauders shoot 48.3 percent and hold teams to 40.4 percent in home games as well.
• Shippensburg has won four in a row in the series, including a nine-point win over the Marauders at home on Jan. 3. But
Casey Stitzel's Marauders do have some history of pulling off upsets in Pucillo Gymnasium. In both 2017 and 2018, Millersville defeated a nationally-ranked Shippensburg team at home.
• While Shippensburg has deployed the same starting five in all 23 games, Millersville has had eight different players and five entirely different starting lineups. Eighteen different groups of five have played at least 10 minutes on the floor together. The most utilized lineup and the only lineup with over 100 minutes played together is
Khari Williams,
James Sullivan,
Mekhi Hendricks,
Justin Nwosu and
Caden Najdawi. In plus/minus over 199:47, that group is plus-31 overall (plus-6.21 per 40 minutes). That lineup has also not been available for eight of the team's 23 games. Outside of
Jaden Faulkner (plus-10.17 per game in six games played), Millersville's per-game plus/minus leader is Sullivan at 5.78 per game. Only three Marauders--Sullivan, Hendricks and Williams--have played in all 23 games.
• Because he has missed six games,
Caden Najdawi does not qualify for PSAC stat rankings, but his 25 total blocks still ranks fifth among all PSAC players and his 1.5 per game average would rank fourth. Najdawi is also averaging 8.3 rebounds per game with six double-digit rebounding efforts. That average would rank third in the PSAC.
• Millersville boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the PSAC, ranking fourth in field goal percentage (.471) and fourth in free throw percentage (.762). Millersville also one of only four teams to rank in the top eight in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The other three teams are IUP, Pitt-Johnstown and Mercyhurst who also happen to be the top three teams in the PSAC West standings.
• In 12 games against PSAC East opponents (all since Jan. 3),
Justin Nwosu is averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He's doing it while shooting .530 from the field, .382 from three and .893 from the line.
SHIPPENSBURG RAIDERS (19-4, 15-2 PSAC)
SERIES INFORMATION
Series vs. Ship: 119-71
Series Streak: Ship, 4
First Meeting: 1904 (L, 9-10)
Last Meeting: 2020 (L, 65-76)
Last 10 Meetings: 2-8
Casey Stitzel vs. Ship: 2-6
Chris Fite vs. Millersville: 9
-5
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
• Shippensburg, receiving votes in the most recent NABC Division II Poll, has won 12 out of 13 and is 9-1 on the road. It has lost only one game against a PSAC East opponent (Feb. 1 vs. East Stroudsburg). Defense will be key for Millersville as the Raiders have not lost when scoring at least 74 points. Shippensburg is the top free throw shooting team in the PSAC and leads the league in rebounding margin (7.3). John Castello is the PSAC's leader in rebounds, avearing 9.0 per game. Jake Bliss, just 23 points shy of 1,000 in his career, is fourth in the PSAC in assists with 4.7 per game. Lamar Talley is the reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week, leading a defense that is third in the league in scoring.
THE LAST MEETING (Jan. 3, 2020 - Shippensburg 76, Millersville 65)
• Over the final 11 minutes of the first half and into the first minute of the second, Shippensburg used a 27-4 run to open up a lead as great as 38-20. Millersville turned to a press a furiously work its way back into the game, cutting the deficit to as few as seven with just over eight minutes to play and ended up outscoring the Raiders 45-40 over the final 20 minutes, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor after sinking just 27.6 percent of its shots in the first.
Justin Nwosu led Millersville with 17 points and seven rebounds.
LAST 10 MEETINGS
1/3/2020 (at Shippensburg) - Shippensburg 76, Millersville 65
2/13/2019 (at Shippensburg) - Shippensburg 81, Millersville 76
1/9/2019 (at Millersville) - Shippensburg 75, Millersville 66
2/26/2018 (at Shippensburg) - Shippensburg 94, Millersville 67
2/7/2018 (at Millersville) - Millersville 87, Shippensburg 84
1/6/18 (at Shippensburg) - Shippensburg 94, Millersville 72
1/28/17 (at Millersville) - Millersville 82, Shippensburg 65
1/3/17 (at Shippensburg) - Shippensburg 96, Millersville 75
2/10/16 (at Shippensburg) - Shippensburg 87, Millersville 70
1/9/16 (at Millersville) - Shippensburg 76, Millersville 64
