MANSFIELD, Pa. - Millersville relentlessly attacked Mansfield off the dribble, creating high percentage shot after high percentage shot at the rim for an 82-64 win Saturday in Decker Gymnasium. The Marauders won their sixth consecutive game and fourth in a row by double digits.
Jaden Faulkner led four Marauders in double figures with 21 points, and he made nine of Millersville's 14 free throws.
Matt Dade scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half, helping the Marauders pull away.
Drew Stover, the PSAC leader in field goal percentage, improved upon his season average by sinking 7-of-7 shots for 14 points.
The Marauders trailed by as many as nine points in the first half and needed an 11-2 run over the final five minutes to take an slight 37-35 lead into the break. The Marauders produced runs of 33-2 and 35-2 in the previous two games, and they had a similar blitz for the Mountaineers as defensive stops translated to transition buckets in the second half.
"I didn't think we guarded well in the first half, but we settled in defensively in the second half and that allowed us to play faster," said Millersville head coach
Casey Stitzel. "Getting some turnovers got us a couple of and-one opportunities. You can make a run when you are plying in transition. Our defense will always spark our offense."
Mansfield trailed 53-50 with just under 12 minutes remaining, but Millersville closed on a 29-14 run, forcing four turnovers and holding Mansfield to 6 of 19 shooting while converting 8 of 11 field goals and 12 of 13 free throws. Only one of Millersville's shots in the final 12 minutes came from three.
Throughout the second half, Faulkner and company challenged Mansfield's guards to keep them out of the paint, and the offensive aggression worked as Millersville took 20 of their 24 shots in the paint, made 62.5% of their attempts and got to the line 18 times in the half. Forwards Dade and Stover were benefactors of the guards' downhill play.
"Mansfield went zone to start the second half, and Day (Waters) hit the three, and they got out of it. We were able to get the ball inside. We are at our best when we use our bigger guards to get into the lane, and when we punish them inside, it opens up the offense for us."
Millersville scored 44 of its points in the paint and finished the game shooting 58.5% from the field. While scoring off lay-ups and free throws, Millersville's defense forced Mansfield to the perimeter where the Mountaineers made just 4 of 20 shots, including 1 of 13 in the second half.
Now 13-3 and 8-2 in PSAC play, the win kept Millersville in a tie for first place in the PSAC East with East Stroudsburg. In the recent winning streak, Millersville has shot better than 47% from the field five times, and they've held the last three opponents to no more than 64 points.
"Our culture is better right now than it was early in the season," said Stitzel. "In the first half of the season, we didn't handle adversity well, but they are learning to fix it during the game instead of the next day at practice. We are sharing the ball and we have good players. Our older players are playing with a sense of urgency. They are trusting each other and the staff. But we have a long way to go. We have a lot of room to improve. That's exciting that we haven't peaked yet. We want to peak at playoff time. We will continue to say it every day--we have to stay confident but have humility."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- After scoring two points Wednesday against Shepherd, Faulkner responded with his 17th career 20-point game. Millersville has produced a 20-point scorer in six of its last seven games against Mansfield. Faulkner has averaged 20.9 points per game in his five career games against Mansfield.
- Dade made his only 3-pointer attempt, and he's now hit 10 of his 15 threes.
- Day Waters totaled 11 points and seven rebounds. Jahme Ested led Millersville with four assists. J.D. Gross made two 3-pointers for the second time in his career and matched a season-high with nine points.
GAME NOTES
- Millersville has won 11 in a row and 17 of the last 18 against Mansfield.
- Dade scored more than 10 points for the 20th consecutive game.
UP NEXT
- Millersville travels to Kutztown on Wednesday, Jan. 24 for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
