Marauders seek winning formula against IUP

Saturday, December 21

Millersville, PA

3:00 PM

Millersville University

Indiana (PA)

12/18/2024 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

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Millersville Men's Basketball

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ABOUT THE GAME

Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium Saturday for its final game of the calendar year, taking on PSAC West foe IUP for a game that counts in the standings. Millersville is looking to bounce back from Tuesday’s 80-71 loss at Clarion. After a 4-1 start, the Marauders have dropped four of the last six and three of the last four. All five of Millersville’s losses have come by single digits, including two in overtime. Despite being just plus-one in the win column, Millersville still ranks second in the PSAC in scoring margin. Millersville is plus-130 in its six wins, boasting an average margin of victory of 21.7 points, and each win has been by at least 15 points. In contrast, it is minus-27 with an average margin of loss of 5.4 points per game. IUP enters Saturday with an identical 6-5 record. It snapped a three-game skid with a 66-64 home win over Kutztown in which they made three free throws in the final minute and survived two potential game-winners from Kutztown.

MBB: Cooper with the slam?? pic.twitter.com/da3RlXgQ6e
— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) December 7, 2024

Stover has scored in double-figures in all 11 games and is now averaging 19.3 points per game. The last Marauder to average better than 19 points per game in a season was Reggie Bates in 2007-08. Stover’s .697 field goal percentage leads the PSAC and ranks fifth in Division II. Among active Division II players, he ranks second in career field goal percentage (.666).
Stover and Montell Cooper are closing in on the 1,000-point milestone. Cooper, who spent his first three seasons at Marymount, averages 12.0 points per game for Millersville and is 41 points away from 1,000. Stover is 57 points from the milestone.
Since returning from a three-game absence, Ested has played some of the best basketball of his Millersville career. He scored a career-high 22 points against Seton Hill and has averaged 18.7 points per game in the last three, sinking 14 of 17 free throws while averaging 3.7 steals and 4.3 assists per game.
It is still early in the season, but some established indicators already exist for Millersville’s success. The Marauders are 6-0 when allowing fewer than 79 points, 6-1 when holding teams under 44% shooting and 5-2 when out-rebounding opponents. Despite its 6-5 record, the Marauders rank among the PSAC leaders in several key metrics. They lead the conference in field goal percentage (.489), rank second in rebounding margin (5.8), fourth in scoring (88.4), and second in scoring margin (9.4).

IUP is 1-3 on the road and 0-2 in road games against the PSAC East, having dropped games at West Chester and Shepherd. In typical IUP fashion, it ranks fourth in the PSAC in scoring defense (72.5 points per game) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.423). The magic numbers for IUP are 44 and 38. It is 4-1 when holding teams under 44% shooting and 5-0 when holding opponents under 38% shooting from three. Four Crimson Hawks average double-digit scoring, and the group is led by Christian Moore’s 19.0 points per game. Moore has five 20-point games and ranks sixth in the PSAC in scoring, one spot behind Millersville’s Drew Stover.

Millersville beat Joe Lombardi’s Crimson Hawks in his first two seasons on the job, but Lombardi has guided his team to 11 consecutive wins over Millersville. The Marauders’ last win in the series was in 2007. IUP has won the last four games in Pucillo Gymnasium with Millersville’s last home win coming in the 2006-07 season. The programs clashed in the 2022 PSAC Championship game with IUP winning 63-52. Lombardi’s teams have long been known for their stingy defense. Millersville has scored more than 70 points just once in the last 12 meetings--that was in a 74-73 loss at home in 2018. IUP has limited Millersville to fewer than 60 points in the last three games and in eight of the last 10. The teams last played on Dec. 30, 2022. IUP won that game at Millersville 76-45. Jahme Ested led Millersville with eight points as the team shot 30.5% from the field.