MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Day Waters scored 20 points and joined Millersville's 1,000-point club as the Marauders earned a grind-it-out, 75-68 win over Clarion in Saturday's PSAC opener at Pucillo Gymnasium.
Both teams entered Saturday averaging better than 89 points per game, but the anticipated shootout turned into a physical slog. Millersville attempted just 16 free throws--13 below its season average--and made just 10. Four Marauders still managed to score in double figures, with Waters leading the way. Waters shot 4 of 7 from three.
Millersville led for all but the first 21 minutes and led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but could never quite put the game away, as Clarion's production on the offensive glass bought second-chance opportunities, and a press contained Millersville's offensive pace. The Marauders scored a season-low 35 points in the first half. Still, they held at least a two-possession lead the entire second half.
"It was one of those classic PSAC games where if we make a couple of plays, we get the lead to 15," said Millersville head coach
Casey Stitzel. "A lot of it was giving up offensive rebounds. We have to continue to get better at getting the lead to 12 with a minute left instead of five with a minute left. The good news is that these are the games we have struggled with. We got a stop, made foul shots, got another stop...We would have loved to have played cleaner basketball, but in the long run, winning a game where we have to guard and execute in the half-court will help us."
Millersville forward
Cesar Tchilombo thrived, producing 13 points on 5 of 5 shooting, 14 rebounds, and two blocks, including one on the game's final shot attempt.
"Cesar had his best game of the year. If he can play with that energy on offense and be our anchor on defense, that will help us so much."
The Marauders held an uneasy 71-65 lead in the final minute after a Ricky Goode-Wright 3-pointer, a turnover and a Gavin Cote free throw. Trying to run time off the clock, the Marauders found themselves scrambling for a shot late in the shot clock.
E.J. Matthews-Spratley pulled a loose ball out of a pile and managed to call a timeout. Possession preservation proved crucial as Matthews-Spratley found
Saraj Ali next to the basket on the ensuing baseline out-of-bounds play for two, boosting the lead back to eight with 39 seconds to play. Clarion's Justice Easter hit a three off an offensive rebound, and Millersville pitched the ball out of bounds trying to break Clarion's press. The Marauders, however, got a stop and Tchilombo grabbed the rebound with eight seconds left. Matthews-Spratley made two free throws, and Waters and Tchilombo closed the game with back-to-back blocks.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Tchilombo's double-double was his second in the last three games. Waters scored at least 20 points for the fifth time in seven games.
- Ali finished with 12 points and a season-high four assists. Aamir Hurst scored 10 points to go with two steals and a blocked shot.
- Clarion out-rebounded Millersville 42-34. Millersville is now 2-2 when out-rebounded. Millersville committed just 10 turnovers compared to 14 assists.
GAME NOTES
- Waters became the 45th player in program history and the ninth player coached by Stitzel to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He's scored 677 points in a Millersville uniform and 338 for Slippery Rock.
- Millersville is 8-2 all-time against Clarion at home, and Stitzel is 5-1 against Clarion. Clarion's coach, Damien Pitts, served as an assistant at Millersville for 17 seasons, including one under Stitzel, and earned a master's degree from the University in 2002.
UP NEXT
- Millersville is off until a Dec. 16 road game at Edinboro.
