MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Drew Stover totaled 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, leading Millersville to an 84-69 victory over Wilmington Tuesday evening in Pucillo Gymnasium. 

Millersville (4-1) played without a starter for the second game in a row, and with forward Saraj Ali nursing an injury, the Marauders needed Stover's production all the more. Millersville led by as many as 20 in the second half but could not fully put away a scrappy Wilmington squad. With the lead tenuously slipping into single digits late, the Marauders played through Stover possession after possession. He scored nine of the team's final 18 points, grabbed three rebounds, and handed out an assist in the game's final seven minutes, helping the Marauders pull away. 

"Drew is playing at a really high level, an MVP candidate in the league, an all-region level," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "(Wilmington) doubled him some early in the game, but we have to do a better job feeding him the ball to start. What I like most is that he got the 10 rebounds. We had the conversation in the fall. We knew he would get his points, assists and blocks. We wanted him to be a better rebounder, and he's done a great job with that."

Stover scored at least 20 points for the fourth time in five games, and it was his second double-double of the season. He led four Marauders in double figures. Aiden Gair scored 15 and led the team with four assists. Montell Cooper sank 8 of 14 shots, including 2 of 3 from three, for 18 points. Alec Topper, starting for Ali, scored 11 and grabbed six rebounds. Millersville's interior depth was put to the test, and freshman Deuce Ketner made his collegiate debut, playing eight minutes and recording two rebounds, an assist and a steal. 

"We are banged up right now," said Stitzel. "It's been tough to get work in practice, and we had to rework our rotations and are playing some guys who haven't played or are playing in different roles. In the long run, hopefully, that's a good thing. Defensively, not being able to practice, that's what slips. Offensively, we are talented enough to score, but the defensive slips when you don't have live reps, especially with a lot of new players. At the end of the day, it will make us better and deeper for the long run."

Millersville had to rally after the Wildcats raced to a 17-5 lead in the opening four minutes. After missing their first shot, the Wildcats made seven in a row. Millersville retaliated with a 14-0 run in fewer than four minutes to take a lead they never relinquished. After Wilmington's Tre Hawkins scored the first bucket of the second half to make the score 39-35,  Millersville ripped off an 18-0 run in which it made all seven of its shots and held Wilmington 0 of 4 with three turnovers. Cooper led that charge with seven in that span. Wilmington did manage to chip the deficit down to six with 3:56 to play, but Millersville closed on an 11-2 run. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• With a 43-32 edge, Millersville won the rebounding battle for the fifth game in a row and held a double-digit advantage for the third consecutive game.
• Millersville finished with 15 assists and 14 turnovers, improving to 4-0 when holding a positive assist/turnover ratio. 

GAME NOTES

• It is the first time since 1923 that Millersville's first four wins have all been by at least 15 points. Millersville has won its four games 21.5 points per game and is plus-82 in points scored through five games. The 1923 team won by an average of 53.8 points over its first four games, although only one was against a university. 

UP NEXT

• Millersville faces a tough road trip to start PSAC play as they travel to No. 6 California on Friday and then to Slippery Rock on Saturday. Those teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the PSAC West preseason poll.