INDIANA, Pa. – Down 22 points, Millersville mounted a methodical rally, pulling to within one point in the final minutes, but the homestanding IUP Crimson Hawks managed to hold on to an 80-77 victory, surviving Millersville's game-tying 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer.
 
Using a full-court pressure and a stingy defense that held IUP to 25.0% shooting in the second half, Millersville turned IUP's once sizable lead into a one-possession game after a pair of Day Waters free throws with 3:23 to play. One minute later, Saraj Ali slashed IUP's advantage to 76-75 on a pair of free throws. IUP's Christian Moore and Kymani Merraro combined to make four consecutive free throws to extend the advantage to five, but Aamir Hurst answered with a pair of his own. Millersville forced IUP into a shot-clock violation with 19 seconds to play, and out of a timeout, the Marauders put the ball in the hands of Waters, their leading scorer. Waters ran off a series of screens and took a hand-off from Ali on the right wing. His contested attempt rimmed in and out.
 
"We wanted to see if we could get a quick two," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "We didn't get the look we wanted so we called a timeout and we went to our play. That's a Brad Stevens special. We ran the stagger for Day. I didn't know if he was going to quite get open, but we did a good job of screening. He got a good look, it was right on line and close to getting some contact. I thought it was going."
 
Waters finished with a game-high 25 points, making 8 of 20 shots while playing the full four minutes. He also blocked two shots. Cesar Tchilombo swatted three shots and grabbed eight boards before fouling out late. Millersville totaled seven blocks and 10 steals with five blocks and seven steals coming in the second-half charge.
 
"We have 16 games left," said Stitzel. "The effort we had in the last 10 minutes, we have to find a way to maintain it for 40 minutes. The guys who finished the game, that effort to get us back, the defense, that's what we need and that's what is going to decide our season."
 
Millersville was ultimately undone by a first half marred with turnovers and second-chance opportunities for the Crimson Hawks. It was a three-point game mid-way through the first half, but three consecutive Marauder turnovers led to an 11-0 IUP run, and the Crimson Hawks turned Millersville's nine first-half turnovers into 15 points and seven offensive rebounds into 10 points.
 
"A step slow," said Stitzel. "We have to get better on back-to-backs. We are just a step slow in the first half. It shows on the defensive end and the turnovers, the laziness. We have to figure that out because that's what it takes to win a PSAC Championship."
 
In the six minutes after Tyler Grove's 3-pointer made the score 24-18, IUP built a 22-point lead. Millersville made four turnovers in that stretch, and Grove scored 10 of his team's 27 points. Millersville closed the half on a 6-0 run but the damage had been done. The 50-36 halftime deficit was Millersville's largest of the season and the second-most points allowed in a half this season.
 
After Saraj Ali scored a season-high 26 points on 13 of 15 shooting at Pitt-Johnstown Friday night, IUP was determined to deny him the ball in the post. He finished with just six shot attempts and failed to reach double figures for the first time in 10 games. Aamir Hurst, who totaled 13 points, was the only other Marauder to reach double figures.
 
"We just didn't have enough body movement," said Stitzel. "I'll take some of the blame for that. They did a good job of seeing what we did against Pitt-Johnstown and tried to take that away."
 
Millersville is 6-14 in the second game of a road PSAC crossover back-to-back since it became an annual part of the schedule in 2000-01. The last time the Marauders swept the road back-to-back crossovers was in 2018-19.  It was the eighth consecutive loss at IUP with Millersville's last win coming in 2007-08. IUP improved to 6-1 at home in 2025-26.
 
Despite the loss, Millersville is still tied for the best conference record among Eastern Division teams. The Marauders' four combined losses have come by a total of 14 points.
 
Millersville returns to Pucillo Gymnasium on Jan. 7 for a PSAC East match-up against East Stroudsburg before playing three more road games in four games.