MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - A furious rally could not offset a lengthy shooting slump as Millersville fell to No. 15 Gannon, 74-70 on Sunday in Pucillo Gymnasium. 

A physical and chippy game between two PSAC division contenders resulted in 51 fouls whistled and 63 free throws attempted. Gannon entered the game averaging nearly 97 points per game but scored 10 points fewer than its previous season low. Millersville also recorded a season low in points, shot a season low 36.7% from the field and a woeful 2 of 21 from three. It was only the second time all season that the Marauders scored fewer than 82 points and shot under 40% from the field. 

It was the inability to connect on shots that cost the Marauders. They handled Gannon's relentless press, committing just 13 turnovers--the second fewest by any Gannon opponent this season. The Marauders took open shots and got to the line, but the PSAC's best free throw shooting team shot 72.7%. 

"It was definitely one of those days," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "Usually at home playing a really good opponent, I am used to see us start the game bang, bang, bang. We have a very good shooting team on paper. If anything, Gannon was switching screens and it took us a little bit to adjust. We are good at executing sets, and this wasn't a set game. You had to be able to drive it, slip screens, ghost screen...The other thing is shooting 2 for 21 (from 3-point range). It's really hard to beat good teams in this league shooting 2 for 21. I don't know if I could go back and say we were taking bad shots. I think we actually turned down some good shots in the second half."

Millersville jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first four minutes, creating fast-break opportunities out of Gannon's press. But after Saraj Ali's dunk at the 16-minute mark, the Marauders missed their next 14 shots. It didn't get any better to start the second half as it took the Marauders nearly six minutes to make their first shot. In that span of almost 24 minutes, Millersville shot 5 of 33 from the field and missed 15 3-pointers. Malcom Dread's 3-pointer with 6:52 remaining in the first half was the only one Millersville hit until Day Waters ended the drought with 38 seconds left in the game. 

The Marauders trailed by as many as 17 but continued to grind, aggressively attacking the basket for high percentage shots after breaking Gannon's press. Waters' 3-pointer made the score 73-68, and after one Gannon free throw, Aamir Hurst slashed to the basket for two with 15 seconds remaining. The Marauders forced a five-second call on the ensuing inbounds play, but could not capitalize quickly. Millersville's rally was slowed by an inability to convert at the free throw line, Gannon's penchant for extending possessions with offensive rebounds, and a tight whistle that resulted in both teams playing in the double-bonus for more than 12 minutes. 

"There were the 19 offensive rebounds," said Stitzel. "There were too many times when we were making our run that the primary shooter missed a shot and chased down a rebound. You kept waiting to see a couple shots go in when their lead got down to six, seven points," said Stitzel.

Gannon shot 36.4% from the field, but despite its 11-1 record, has shot lower than 40% four times. The Golden Knights' four 3-pointers were a season low. 

"The good news is that championships aren't won in December," said Stitzel. "We've challenged ourselves with our schedule to this point. The energy that we had on defense today, we haven't always brought that. If we decide to sacrifice and play hard every possession on defense, and play for each other, we aren't going to shoot the ball like that too often. It takes most of the new guys about two months to figure out how we want to play defense. The key is to never peak, and we started to show that Millersville defense today."

Millersville's three losses have now come by a grand total of 11 points, and after home losses by both West Chester and East Stroudsburg Saturday, Millersville sits alone in first place in the PSAC East. But division play has yet to begin, and Millersville's New Year begins with four of the next five games on the road including a daunting back-to-back against Pitt-Johnstown and IUP on Jan. 2-3. 

"You have to be able to play through adversity, and that's something this group will continue to work on," said Stitzel. "There were a couple of plays here and there, that if we get a put-back to go, it's a different game and we aren't as desperate at the end. My dad taught me a long time ago that it's easy to get too high when you win a lot of games in a row, and when things go wrong it's easy to get too low. You have to find a way to stay in the middle. It's not easy but it was an experience that will help us in the long run."