ABOUT THE GAME

• With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the PSAC East is still up for grabs, and Millersville is right in the mix. Four of the Marauders’ final six games are at home, and the team is 9-2 in Pucillo Gymnasium entering Saturday’s game against Mansfield. At 14-9 overall and 10-6 in the PSAC, Millersville has already clinched a PSAC Tournament berth for the seventh consecutive season. Millersville is three games out of first place, two out of second place and two games up on Lock Haven for a home game in the first round. Millersville is seeking a bye or first-round home game for the sixth consecutive season. Millersville hasn’t put together a run of seven consecutive postseason appearances since going to eight straight from 1984-91. A win on Saturday would also clinch a sixth-straight winning season for the Marauders. That’s a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since it had 12 straight winning seasons from 1984-96. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Drew Stover produced his team-leading fifth double-double of the season Wednesday, totaling 18 points and 11 rebounds. That performance came one game after Alec Topper recorded his first double-double as a Marauder. Stover had a 14-point, 11-rebound performance against Shippensburg, giving Millersville three consecutive games with a double-double. Millersville is 5-0 when Stover gets a double-double and 8-4 when any player registers a double-double. 
• Stover swatted a career-high seven shots Wednesday against Kutztown--the most blocks by a Marauder since Bernard Brown had eight in 2011. Stover is three blocks away from matching his PSAC-leading 2023-24 season total. He ranks second in the PSAC this season at 1.9 per game. Stover is 20th among active Division II players in career blocks with 115. He needs nine more to crack Millersville’s single-season top 10. Stover will very likely break the Millersville record for career field goal percentage. The record stands at .610, set by John Fox from 1983-87. Stover enters the weekend at .656--fifth among active Division II players. 
• Millersville had scored over 90 points in four of the five games from Jan. 18-Feb. 5. But since losing Montell Cooper, Millersville has averaged 70 points in the last two games. Cooper did it all for the Marauders, ranking second in blocks, steals and assists while averaging 11.0 points per game. In his absence, Aamir Hurst has taken over as a starter. In two games, he’s made 10 of 13 shots, 4 of 6 threes and totaled three steals. 
   

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• Mansfield is coming off a 95-90 road win over Lock Haven, and has played teams tough recently. They lost at West Chester by eight, dropped a 76-72 decision against Bloomsburg, and lost by two to West Chester on Jan. 22. Eight of its last 11 games have been decided by single digits. Mansfield’s 72.4 points per game rank 15th in the PSAC, and its 83.8 points per game allowed is last. Mansfield also ranks 17th in field goal percentage. Teams have had success shooting threes against Mansfield. The 36.7% allowed is last in the PSAC. 

SERIES HISTORY

• The series has been all Millersville in recent years as the Marauders have won 13 in a row and 19 of the last 20. Mansfield has not won at Pucillo Gymnasium since 2012, going 0-11 since. Last season in Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville needed a late 3-pointer from Day Waters to force overtime and win 98-91. Millersville has scored at least 80 points in eight of the last nine games against Mansfield, and this season’s Millersville team is 10-2 when scoring at least 80. Mansfield, meanwhile, has topped 80 just twice in the last 20 games against Millersville. Millersville won the first meeting of the season 81-57 behind 23 points from Drew Stover. Saraj Ali scored 11 in his return to Mansfield. In 2023-24, Stover made 17 of 18 shot attempts and averaged 18.0 points per game against Mansfield. As a sophomore in 2022-23, Stover made 17 of 22 shots and averaged 17.5 points per game against the Mountaineers.