MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – With the seniors providing a steadying performance, Millersville beat West Chester 79-72 Wednesday night for its fourth consecutive victory. Mekhi Hendricks scored a season-high 18 points, and Justin Nwosu recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. 

With emotions running high in Wednesday's PSAC East rivalry game, the Marauders needed their veterans to settle the team in the most tense moments. Millersville led for 37 of the game's 40 minutes and led by as many as 13, but West Chester's guards caught fire mid-way through the second half. Elijah Allen's eight points led a 21-6 West Chester run that put the Golden Rams in front 58-56 with eight minutes to play. 

But an extra-effort play from Nwosu tied the game and set the Marauders right. He followed a blocked shot with an offensive rebound and put-back. The Marauders dug in on the defensive end, causing West Chester to come up empty on four-straight possessions. Matt Dade connected on two free throws to put Millersville back on top, and Keith Mency drilled a three. Nwosu grabbed three rebounds and recorded a steal as part of a 9-0 Millersville run. The Marauders led by no fewer than four points the rest of the way. The Marauders put the game away at the line, sinking eight free throws in the final three minutes.

"That's where you see the growth," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "Games like this are what get you ready for February. A month ago, that stretch would have continued. What we've done the last couple of games is limit the bad stretch. I'm super proud of these guys. They keep growing."

Defensively, West Chester was determined to prevent Millersville from running its offense through bigs Matt Dade and Drew Stover, sending immediate double teams when the ball went to the block. Nwosu and Hendricks made the Golden Rams pay by hitting three 3-pointers apiece. The Marauders knocked down 10-of-25 from deep, and six different players made a three. 

"It helps to make shots, and Mekhi and Justin making those shots early really helped us," said Stitzel. "They played in some huge games in the past and shot well in those games. It's contagious. When they shoot like that, the young guys get some confidence. They made West Chester second-guess that strategy." 

Hendricks in particular had struggled with his shot the majority of the season. A career 40% shooter from three had scored in double-digits twice in his previous 14 games. But on Wednesday, he was again the spark plug that the Marauders had counted on in past seasons. Hendricks made 5-of-10 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws. 

Dade, Millersville's leading scorer, finished with 14 points in his first game against his former team. An All-PSAC East selection for the Golden Rams in 2021-22, Dade scored in double-figures for the sixth consecutive game, grabbed six boards and played stellar defense against his interior counterparts. 

"He handled (the moment) really well," said Stitzel. "I had to do it as a player, and from experience, it is really hard. There are a lot of emotions. There is familiarity, friendship, and a brotherhood with players on the other team. I thought he was composed. His rebounding was huge, and he played great defense against their post players."

West Chester's Eli Barrett and Joshua Walker entered the game averaging nearly 19 points and 16 rebounds per game between them, but Dade and Nwosu held the Golden Ram post duo to a total of eight points and six rebounds. The Marauders also out-rebounded the PSAC's top rebounding team, 36-33. 

"That's our calling card," said Stitzel. "When we went through our stretch where we weren't playing well, it's when we weren't guarding well. When we guard well, we rebound well. West Chester crashes, so we have to crash, too. Matt, Justin and Ryan (Day) had some big put-backs."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Millersville shot 45.5% from the field while holding West Chester to 39.7%. Millersville is now 6-1 when holding opponents to under 40% shooting. West Chester's 27 threes were the most attempted against Millersville all season. Elijah Allen shot 4-of-10 from three and finished with a game-high 19 points for West Chester. 
• Millersville has now won four in a row against West Chester for the first time since a 13-game winning streak from 1984-90. 
• The win was Millersville's fourth in seven days, and all four were by six points or fewer. 

UP NEXT
• Millersville travels to Mansfield for a 3 p.m., tip on Saturday, Jan. 28.