EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – You can discuss it in the locker room, watch it on film, and work on it in practice, but the only thing that prepares young guards for East Stroudsburg's full-court press is experience. And all it took was five minutes for Millersville's nine-game winning streak to be put into serious jeopardy. A turnover-plagued opening half cost the Marauders in Saturday's 75-65 loss.
 
Millersville committed 25 turnovers against the Warriors' frantic backcourt defense, and eight of those turnovers came in Millersville's first 11 possessions of the game. After missing 3-pointers on the first two possessions, Millersville turned the ball over seven-straight times, and East Stroudsburg raced to a 12-0 lead. Millersville played ESU plus-two over the final 35 minutes, but there was no recovering from that start.

"Unfortunately, when we come (to East Stroudsburg) we start badly," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "We overcame it and got it down to five, but this is a game that is a really good experience for our young guards. They got away from what they've done really well during the nine-game stretch because of the style of play. We warned them about it, but it takes time and experience."

East Stroudsburg is the PSAC leader in turnovers forced and steals, and while Millersville had not committed more than 11 turnovers in the previous five games, it was not immune to miscues Saturday. The 25 turnovers were five more than the previous season high. The turnovers also led to open buckets for the Warriors, who shot 48.4% from the field. During the Marauders' past nine games, no team shot better than 44%. 

"We played nine games and none of our guards played against this, and they looked overwhelmed," said Stitzel. "We played so many teams recently where we could control the pace. You can talk about it, and say it, but at the end of the day, these are the hardest games to coach because you feel helpless at times. It's hard to control possessions and that's where you need experience on the floor. This could be a good thing to learn from and grow from going into the playoffs."

Justin Nwosu led four Marauders in double-figures with 12 points. Ryan Davis (11), Jahme Ested (10) and Drew Stover (10) all scored in double-figures off the bench. Carlos Pepin led the Warriors with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Lakeem McAililey scored 15 points and added four steals and four assists. 

Millersville trailed by as many as 14 twice in the first half, and that deficit quickly stretched to 16 at the start of the second. But the Marauders chipped away, and a 9-0 run capped by a Stover score pulled them to within 51-46 with 13:06 to play. But on the next six possessions, Millersville missed three shots and committed three turnovers, and the Warriors extended its advantage back to double-digits in fewer than three minutes. That was the Marauders' last real shot to catch the Warriors, as they never again got closer than 10 points. 

"If you take away the start we played even or better but it's not like we played really well," said Stitzel. "We played a bad game, and it was everybody. No one is exempt from that. The fact that we were still in the game is how you take the positive out of it, but (East Stroudsburg) played harder and tougher. After the game, we agreed to make a pact that if we lose a game the rest of the year it's because we missed shots and not because the other team played harder."

East Stroudsburg moved into a tie with Millersville for second place in the PSAC East, and Shippensburg's one-point win at Mansfield pulled the Raiders 1 1/2 games in front of the pack. West Chester sits a half-game behind Millersville and ESU. 

"Two months ago, no one thought we'd be here in this position, but now that we are, these are the games that young players need to experience to learn and grow from." 

UP NEXT
• Millersville's challenging road trip continues on Wednesday, Feb. 15 with a trip to first-place Shippensburg. Millersville won the season's first meeting, 56-55.