MANSFIELD, Pa. - Mansfield packed the paint with a 2-3 zone and dared the slumping Millersville Marauders to beat them from the outside. The strategy worked for a while, but
Aiden Gair and the Marauders caught fire midway through the second half, turning a tenuous four-point lead into an 81-57 road win.
It was Millersville's highest scoring output in a road game all season and snapped a skid of three consecutive road losses. Scott Sterling's layup with 14 minutes remaining cut the Marauders' lead to 46-42, but Gair made back-to-back 3-pointers and
Aamir Hurst splashed in a third, jump-starting a 35-11 run over the next 12 minutes.
"I thought we did a decent job attacking early in the game, but we kept turning the ball over early," said Millersville head coach
Casey Stitzel. "When we started taking care of the ball, we had more opportunities, and a lot of our threes were in transition."
Millersville shot just 8 of 27 (.296) from three, but it was the team's most 3-pointers made since Dec. 7. Gair shot 4 of 10 from distance and finished with 14.
Jahme Ested and Hurst also made two.
Just as important to the run was Millersville's feisty defensive effort. Millersville caused eight turnovers, totaled six steals, and forced Mansfield to shoot 4 of 17 in that game-defining 12-minute stretch. The Marauders surrendered just 25 points in the second half.
"That's what you have to do on the road," said Stitzel. "We let our defense become our offense. We were really good in transition. That's been the one consistent all year. When we get stops and long rebounds, we can get layups. Tonight we made extra passes and had 23 assists. We had the stretch at the end and never let them back in it. We have to build off it."
Mansfield's .328 shooting percentage was the lowest of any Millersville opponent since game three of the season on Nov. 13. Millersville turned 18 turnovers in 27 points, including 15 in transition. Hurst,
Dante Weise and
Alec Topper were particularly impactful in defensive roles off the bench. Hurst totaled four steals, Weise recorded three and Topper added two. With the Marauders off to a sluggish start and trailing 11-10 after eight minutes, the trio fronted Millersville's full-court press and quickly turned the tide in favor of the Marauders.
"That's our athletic lineup," said Stitzel. "We went to our pressure, and they are really good with that. We got great contributions off the bench, and that's what we want to have and we will have going forward--guys who can play starter minutes because they play with energy. It's not an easy day to travel three hours and play, but we had great effort and got a win on the road. There's still room to get a lot better.
Drew Stover led all scorers with 23 points, sinking 11 of 15 shots while also blocking three.
Montell Cooper, playing in his first season as a Marauder after three at Marymount, joined the 1,000-point club with eight points. He entered the game needing three and finished with eight. He also added five assists, five assists, two steals and a block.
Saraj Ali made his first return trip to Mansfield where he played the first two seasons of his career. He scored all 11 of his points in the first half and tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds.
"I experienced it as a player, and I know everyone handles it a little differently," said Stitzel of Ali's return to Mansfield. "He was great helping us with what they do and their personnel. His energy got us going from the start. He had one of his better defensive games. He's a really good player who has so much room to get better. We'll keep pushing him to max out when the playoffs come around."
Millersville has now won 13 consecutive games and 19 of the last 20 against Mansfield. It is the second-longest winning streak in the series by either team and the longest since the Marauders won 16 in a row from 1985-1992.
UP NEXT
Millersville closes its four-game road trip at Kutztown on Saturday, Jan. 18.
