MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - After a semester of starts and stops, Saturday's physical, 76-68 win over visiting IUP was just what the Millersville Marauders needed. Aiden Gair scored 18 and Saraj Ali added 16 points and seven rebounds, helping Millersville to its first win over IUP since 2007. 

Before Saturday, Millersville (7-5, 3-2 PSAC) had dropped three of four and had yet to win a game decided by fewer than 15 points. But the grind-it-out victory in which it handled a full-court press and held off the charging Crimson Hawks showed growth and was the perfect way to enter a 13-day hiatus. 

"That's the first game that we've won where it was close down the stretch," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "That's a step. Even though there were mistakes, it's a step."

Millersville set the tempo of the game early with backcourt pressure, scored the first seven points of the game and built an 18-point lead midway through the first half. IUP used a 12-1 run to cut the Marauders' advantage down to 34-28, but Gair made a turnaround jumper to stem the tide, and Millersville sank its final three shots of the first half to take an 11-point lead into the break. 

"At the end of the first half, when (IUP) made their run, we didn't let them take over," said Stitzel. "We got it right back to 11. Those are the things that for a new group is good to see."

Millersville held a double-digit lead for much of the second half until Damir Brooks cut IUP's deficit to 74-68 with 37 seconds to play. Aamair Hurst, however, sank two free throws to put the Millersville lead back to three possessions. 

Millersville improved to 6-2 when winning the rebounding battle (33-32), and offensive rebounding played a significant role, as the Marauders turned 15 in 15 second-chance points. Millersville also improved to 6-0 when holding teams to fewer than 79 points.

"It's always going to come down to defense, rebounding and sharing the ball and protecting it."

IUP managed to limit Millersville's leading scorer Drew Stover to eight points and just five shot attempts--his fewest of the season. Stover still made an impact with three blocks, a steal, and seven rebounds. Millersville's 76 points were the most it has scored against IUP since 2005--two seasons before Joe Lombardi took over the IUP program. Jahme Ested totaled 14 points, four assists and three steals. In each of the four games since he returned from an injury, Ested has recorded at least 14 points and four assists. 

The win boosted Millersville's PSAC record to 3-2, and it heads into its 16-game PSAC East slate two games out of the division lead. Stitzel sees a team that has learned from its early-season tribulations and has its best basketball in front of it. 

"We've had some really good teams in the past and never had a clean first semester," said Stitzel. "We usually have some ups and downs. This team stayed together. A lot of times, when you have adversity with a new group, kids start pointing fingers. This group did not. So many guys reached out after the Clarion game asking, 'Coach, what do I need to do better? Not, coach, we need to do this.' I thought that was a great sign for us moving forward. We believe we are on pace to play our best basketball in mid-January and February."

UP NEXT
Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium to start PSAC East play against Shippensburg on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m.