Marauders can't solve Lakers' D in road loss

Tuesday, December 19

Erie, PA

3:00 PM

Millersville University

7-3,2-2PSAC

Mercyhurst

6-6,2-2PSAC

Millersville

Mercyhurst

Marauders can't solve Lakers' D in road loss

12/19/2023 4:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

ERIE, Pa. - The Millersville Marauders could not find an offensive rhythm against a stingy Mercyhurst defense Tuesday, falling 64-56 on the road.

MIllersville (7-3, 2-2 PSAC) shot just 36.2% from the field and committed 20 turnovers while recording just 12 assists. The Marauders produced their second-lowest field goal percentage and second-most turnovers in a game this season.

"Right now we are beating ourselves," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "It's hard to win on the road against good teams. You can sneak out some wins at home against good teams, but there are too many mistakes being made. It starts with me. I have to figure out a way to fix it. We go through stretches where we look like we don't know what we are doing. We play well on defense, and then the defensive intensity goes away. We just aren't playing smart baskeball."

Matt Dade led Millersville with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, moving his career point total to 999. It was a particularly tough day for leading scorer Jaden Faulkner, who shot 1-of-8 from the field for five points and also committed seven turnovers. Faulkner entered the game averaging 18.9 points per game and had scored 16 or more in eight-straight games, but didn't make his first bucket until banking in a 3-pointer in the final minute.

Millersville trailed by just four (32-28) at the half, and scored the first bucket of the second, but over the next 12 minutes, Millersville mustered just nine points, shooting 2-of-12 from the field and 0-for-4 from three with six turnovers, allowing Mercyhurst to open a 14-point lead.

For a team struggling at the offensive end, that deficit was too much to overcome, but the Marauders made it interesting late and even had a chance to take the lead twice in the final two minutes. Day Waters made three consecutive foul shots to bring Millersville to within 55-53, and the Marauders then got a defensive stop. Waters missed a 3-pointer, and Jacob Aryee, missed a jumper off of offensive rebound, and Mercyhurst's Jeff Planutis answered with a transition 3-pointer. Another Marauder turnover turned into back-to-back fastbreak triples from Planutis, icing the win for the Lakers.

"That's what happens a lot of times," said Stitzel. "You come back from a big deficit, and then you get stuck in mud. I couldn't believe (the deficit) was two points with the way we were playing. The press made (Mercyhurst) uncomfortable, but the mistakes that you've been making for 35 minutes come back and lose the game."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Dade and Faulkner led Millersville with seven rebounds apiece.
Day Waters was the only other Marauder to reach double figures, scoring 14. He was 8-of-8 from the line but 3-of-10 from the field.
Mercyhurst attempted just six free throws, making all six.

GAME NOTES