SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Facing the PSAC East champ on the road and down 16 points, Millersville scratched and clawed its way back to within a point in the final seconds. But Shippensburg's clutch free throw shooting was enough to hold off the upstart Marauders 69-66 in Wednesday's PSAC Tournament quarterfinal contest. 

Millersville (15-15) out-scored No. 1 seed Shippensburg (23-6) 46-36 in the second half, overcoming an opening 20 minutes in which it scored 20 points on 24.1 percent shooting and was out-rebounded 32-20. Even with the offensive woes, Millersville stayed closed thanks to its stifling defense that held PSAC East Athlete of the Year contender Jake Biss and two-time All-PSAC East selection John Castello to a combined 12 points on 4-of-21 shooting. Millersville held the Raiders to 32.9 percent shooting--its second-lowest total of the season and lowest since Nov. 9. 

The Marauders held Shippensburg to one made field goal in the final seven minutes and closed within one possession seven times. Each time, however, Shippensburg kept some distance by making 11-of-13 down the stretch including four in a row from Kylon Hardy in the last 13 seconds. Hardy's final two makes with 2.9 seconds remaining forced Millersville--with no timeouts remaining--to hurriedly race up the court. James Sullivan's leaning three from the left wing was well-contested by a pair of Shippensburg defenders and rimmed out. 

Caden Najdawi carried the Marauders through its cold spell in the first half and helped push the comeback forward, finishing with 20 points (11 in the first half), 14 rebounds and four blocks. Justin Nwosu scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and Khari Williams scored 10 of his 13 in the second as well, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor before fouling out with 2:44 remaining. Millersville shot 58.1 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes and hit 4-of-8 threes after missing all seven in the first. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 
• Luke Nedrow's 3-pointer 15 seconds into the second half put the Raiders up 36-20, but Millersville answered with a 9-2 run to cut Shippensburg's lead to nine. Millersville got no closer until Sullivan's jumper at the 12:33 mark pulled Millersville to within seven. With 7:05 left, Nwosu drove for two, starting an 8-0 run that brought the Marauders to within 57-55. Shippensburg continued to answer at the line, however, keeping the advantage at at least three points but no more than six until Brandon Craig picked off a Jake Biss pass at mid-court and then drove to the hoop for two, making the score 65-64 with 23 seconds to play. 
• Millersville used its final timeout to set its defense but could not get a quick steal. Forced to foul, Millersville sent Hardy to the line with 13 seconds left, and he sank both. Down three, Millersville looked to free up Sullivan on the perimeter, but he was chased off the 3-point line by a trapping defense. Sullivan instead slashed to the hoop for two with 3.4 seconds left. Shippensburg quickly in-bounded to Hardy, and the Marauders fouled. Again, he made both. Sullivan caught the in-bounds pass on a sprint up the left sideline and got the shot off in time, but Shippensburg did not allow a clean look. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Despite grabbing 24 offensive rebounds, Shippensburg managed just 15 second-chance points. Lamar Talley led the Raiders with 17 points. 
• Najdawi's double-double with his third in a row and ninth of the season. His four blocks also matched a season-high. Three of Nwosu's four field goals were 3-pointers, and he also led Millersville with three steals. Nwosu and Sullivan also blocked to shots. 

POSTGAME REACTION FROM COACH CASEY STITZEL
• On the second half comeback: "It says a lot about our great and a lot about our toughness--how much we've grown to become winning basketball players. In the first half we went a little too fast and didn't execute on offense. But the reason we were still in it and not down 20 was because we guarded. We had that bad stretch on offense but it didn't effect our defense. Credit goes to these guys. They are tough, resilient guys. It was nice to be able to talk about the game and not have to look at any seniors and say goodbye. I hope that this moment, the feeling of getting close to the PSAC final four will take us into the offseason and motivate us."
• On what the team was looking for on the final possessions: "I thought we managed the game well. Credit Hardy for making the four foul shots in a row to keep it at three points and not letting it get to two or one where we could attack the basket. We ran a double drag screen in transition hoping they would switch and get James free. He took a quick two and we got a look at the end. We just didn't make that one play to tie or take the lead, and sometimes on the road, you need that to put the pressure on the home team."
• On the defense against Biss and Castello: "I thought we did a great job. We locked in our their tendencies. James and Justin had those two a lot. Justin was more physical in the second half. They took the scouting report to the game. We were prepared. Holding a team like that to 32 percent is a credit to our guys."
• On the performance of Najdawi late in the season: "It's unbelievable. When Jaden went down we talked about how we would need to play differently and go to him. He had those injuries and was in and out of the lineup but he came back for the final stretch and is a huge reason why we were playing in this game and were in the game. I think he's one of the best bigs in the league and hopefully this little taste of success personally and team-wise will stay with him in the offseason. We have a special player and I think he'll take his game to another level as a senior."

NOTES
• Williams finished with 13 points, and his 10th, scored on a free throw in the second half, represented the 1,000th point of his career. The first-year Marauder played his first two seasons at Clarion. He is the 37th player in program history to reach the milestone. 
• Millersville reached the PSAC Quarterfinals time since 2015 and took another step forward in Stitzel's fourth season. Millersville managed to win 15 games and reach the first round despite 2019 All-PSAC East selection Jaden Faulkner missing 24 games with an injury. Najdawi missed seven and Nwosu missed three.