Defense makes the difference as Marauders top Shepherd

Thursday, January 15

Millersville, PA

7:30 PM

Millersville University

11-5,6-3PSAC

Shepherd

8-7,5-4PSAC

Shepherd

Millersville

Defense makes the difference as Marauders top Shepherd

1/15/2026 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Shots weren't falling, but Millersville made up for it on the defensive end, holding Shepherd and its top scorer Marcus Banks to their second fewest point totals of the season in a rugged, 69-60 win in Pucillo Gymnasium.

Banks entered the game averaging nearly 20 points per game, getting to the line 9.7 times per game. A host of Marauder defenders, including Aamir Hurst (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti), Carnell Henderson (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter), Dante Weise and Day Waters, stood their ground and limited Banks to 11 points on 3 of 15 shoot with just six free throw attempts and five turnovers. The Marauders also held double-digit scorer Brody Davis, who had seven consecutive games with at least 11 points, scoreless for the first time this season.

Millersville totaled nine steals (three by Weise) and blocked seven shots. Waters and freshman Jase Holland both set career highs with three blocks each.

"The first two possessions, I was a little worried, because (Banks) was posting us, and Aamir was allowing him to dictate the physicality," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "After the media timeout, we changed our script. When we were more physical and more engaged than them, we got stops. We gave Banks different looks. Aamir and Carnell have that length and quickness. Day is a strong guy, and that helps when Banks is trying to be physical and get to the line."

Millersville trailed for only 14 seconds in the entire game, but an out-of-rhythm shooting performance, and Shepherd's deliberate pace kept the game close. Millersville opened the second half on a quick 6-0 run, but the lead stuck at 43-30 for nearly four minutes. Shepherd did not score a point for the first 5:51 of the half, but Millersville missed five consecutive shots before Banks ended Shepherd's drought with two free throws. Shepherd's first field goal of the second half finally fell with 12:45 to play, and by then, Millersville had missed its chance to put the game fully out of reach.

"The stretch that really hurt was when we went up 13 and went scoreless on four of five possessions," said Stitzel. "We have to get that to 18 or 20 and it changes the game completely. We have to continue to work on the rebounding, guarding every possession and play with confidence on offense."

Millersville missed 10 consecutive shots in a six-minute stretch that allowed Shepherd to creep with two. But Hurst scored on a contested jumper and then Waters scored off a pass from Hurst to put the lead back to two possessions. Later, as the clock ticked under four minutes, and with Shepherd trailing by three, Weise canned a 3-pointer from the top of the key. That bucket started a 9-0 Millersville run in which Millersville went to Waters and Saraj Ali on the same play possession after possession. Ali scored from the left block twice, and Waters scored off a cut to into the paint.

"We were struggling to shoot the ball so we went to our two best players," said Stitzel. "Dante had a nice floor game going so we made him the passer. We run the flex cut for Day--a big guard who can post up and has a mid-range game. If they help we have Saraj playing one-on-one. Honestly, that probably won us the game down the stretch. We really executed that. We made really good passes, and that's the kind of plays you need to execute in a choppy game like that."

With the lead back to double-digits, Millersville closed the game at the free throw line.

Waters scored a game-high 21 points despite going 0 of 4 from three and 7 of 20 from the field. Ali totaled 16 points and eight rebounds. Cesar Tchilombo grabbed 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Hurst scored 11 with three assists and seven rebounds.

Millersville improved to 11-2 all-time against Shepherd inside Pucillo Gymnasium. It was the 11th time in the last 13 meetings that the game was decided by 10 points or fewer.

Millersville, now 11-5 overall and 6-3 in PSAC play, kept pace with West Chester and East Stroudsburg for first place in Eastern Division.

UP NEXT
The Marauders travel to Lock Haven on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip.