LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Thomas Fieldhouse has been a tough place to play for every Lock Haven opponent this season, and the Millersville Marauders had their turn on Saturday. Despite Millersville's spirited second-half effort, Bryson Scott's two free throws in the final seconds helped Lock Haven improve to 7-1 at home with a 73-70 win.
Millersville struggled mightily on offense all game but had its chances late. Those chances, however, resulted in back-to-back crunch time turnovers--first with 15 seconds to play and the game tied, and then, trailing by two with the ball on the sideline with five seconds left. The first of those turnovers led to the game-winning points. On a baseline out-of-bounds play, Scott was tripped in a cut to the basket. He swished both free throws to break the tie. Millersville called timeout in the front court with five seconds remaining, but Blake Deegan foiled Millersville's plan, tipping away the in-bounds pass intended for
Saraj Ali. Ali was whistled for a foul as the pair dove for the ball. Deegan made one of two to ice the win.
"With 37 seconds left, we went to our roll play and had two options. We were looking for Saraj and wanted to get some high-low action," said Millersville head coach
Casey Stitzel. "We have to get a shot off because we had been hurting them on the (offensive) glass, and maybe we get a rebound and a put-back. On defense, we can't foul with the ball on the baseline. Then, with five seconds left, we had two plays set up, one for two and one for a three to win, and we just couldn't get the ball in bounds. We didn't even get to see the plays off, and that's what's frustrating about it. That was disappointing."
Millersville averaged 88.7 points per game over the previous three games but shot 32.4% from the field in the first half and 40% for the game. Early 3-point shoot kept them in the game, but they missed 10 in a row until
Aamir Hurst broke the drought with a game-tying triple with 1:38 on the clock. The Marauders went scoreless for more than six minutes at the end of the first half, trailed by as many as 10, and saw a 50-42 deficit with just over 11 minutes remaining. Over the next six minutes, fueled by the play of Ali, the Marauders went on an 18-7 run, putting them up 60-57. That's when the offense bogged down again. Millersville committed five turnovers and made just four field goals in the final five minutes. Hurst scored five of the 10 points, sinking the 3-pointer, and scoring an acrobatic layup that gave Millersville a 70-68 advantage with 54 seconds to play. That was the last of Millersville's points.
"We are just very inconsistent," said Stitzel. "From the first to second half we were inconsistent with our effort. We didn't play hard in the first half and then in the last 10 minutes we were everywhere, getting stops, getting rebounds. We turned it over early, got rid of it and then it comes up again. You have to make Lock Haven beat you. Make them hit a tough shot. Make them make a play. The last four minutes were a lot of self-sabotage. This group can be good, and that's what's tough. So much Dr. Jeckyll-Mr. Hyde. It's two different teams in terms of effort. I didn't think we'd be learning this lesson with nine games left."
Ali led the Marauders with 19 points and eight rebounds. Hurst scored 15 and grabbed six rebounds.
Jahme Ested recorded a career-high eight assists. Kevin Coleman paced Lock Haven with 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting and added five assists and three blocks.
Millersville is now 4-6 on the road and 2-7 in games decided by fewer than 10 points. The bright spot is that six of the final nine games are at home. Millersville hosts PSAC East-leading West Chester on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
