MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel said it best: "That was like a high-level NCAA Tournament game." Day Waters scored 29 points and Saraj Ali scored 21, but Charleston managed to top Millersville 89-84 in the finale of the Ron Wilson '79 Classic. 

Charleston (2-0) beat Mansfield by 50 points the day prior and used a highly efficient offense to build a 10-point halftime lead on the Marauders (1-1). Millersville charged back and even took a momentary lead with 9:30 remaining, but over the next three minutes, Millersville missed four consecutive shots and Charleston capitalized with a 10-2 run and led the rest of the game. 

Charleston shot 61.3% from the field compared to Millersville's 39.3% shooting and held a 40-22 lead on the glass. But the difference on the scoreboard was just five points. 

"If we have the identity that we hope to have by March, this is an opportunity to learn, knowing those two stats cost us the game," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "We have to remember that whether we are making shots or not, those two things have to be our staple."

The Marauders made shots and defended for the first 10 minutes of the first half. Malcolm Dread's 3-pointer just under the 12-minute mark gave the Marauders a 25-14 advantage. Charleston then started to lean on Thomas Hailey, who led all scorers with 31 points on 15 of 18 shooting. He sparked Charleston to an 11-1 run, and over the final 11-plus minutes, Charleston out-scored Millersville 37-16, making 17 of 24 shots with Hailey scoring 14. Millersville shot 3 for 14 with eight missed threes as Charleston turned a double-digit deficit into a 10-point lead. 

"A lot of my mentors have said that you can talk X's and O's all you want, but sometimes it is just about effort, and the bottom line is that at the end of the first half,  we didn't play hard enough," said Stitzel. "As a coach it's on me because I have to ask the question of, 'why did we not have the mentality in the first half that we did to start the second half?' We started the game playing well offensively. If we had the same defensive energy, it's a different game. It's a learning opportunity. We hope that the next time we play a big-time game we'll make those plays and be ready to go."

Millersville was much more active defensively in the final 20 minutes, forcing 12 turnovers, but Charleston still shot 51.9% from the field. The effort kept Millersville close despite shots not falling. With 3:42 to play, Waters drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cut the deficit to 80-79. Charleston scored on the next trip, and while the Marauders had a chance to answer, they missed their next three shots, including two on one possession. Millersville again cut it to one point (85-84) with 1:05 to go but immediately gave up a dunk to Matthew Shelton on a cut to the hoop. Millersville shot 1 of 9 after Waters' 3-pointer. 

"I think these are two teams that will be in the mix for the NCAA Tournament," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "These are the games you want to play in November. They are the best team we've hosted in the Ron Wilson Classic. Three things cost us the game. Our defense was not up to par in the first half. Our rebounding wasn't good enough, and that and defense were the two things we've talked about all offseason. Last, there was the three-minute stretch they had in the second half. When we got back in the game, there were a couple of opportunities to take control of the game but there was always a turnover or a missed shot that went in and out. We have to break that cycle and make the winning plays when it is a one-possession game."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Waters' 29 points marked a career high and his sixth consecutive 20-point game dating back to last season. 
• Ali made all 11 of his free throws and Waters went 8 for 10. The Marauders shot 27 of 29 as a team. 
• Ali and Cesar Tchilombo led Millersville with seven rebounds each. E.J. Matthews-Spratley scored 11 and added five assists. 
• Charleston did much of its damage in the paint, especially with Tchilombo in foul trouble. They scored 62 points in the paint. 
• Charleston is now 3-0 all-time against Millersville. The teams also played in 2003 and 2005. All three meetings have been decided by six points or fewer. 

• Millersville travels to Wilmington for its first road game on Wednesday, Nov. 19.