Saturday, January 31
East Stroudsburg, PA
3:00 PM
Millersville University
13-7,8-5PSAC
77
at
87
East Stroudsburg
15-6,9-6PSAC
1
2
F
Millersville
32
45
77
East Stroudsburg
43
44
87
Marauders can't recover after Warriors' early blitz
1/31/2026 5:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The first 10 minutes ultimately decided Millersville's fate in an 87-77 road loss to East Stroudsburg Saturday.
Millersville fell behind by 16 points, shooting just 3 of 13 from the field with three turnovers, while East Stroudsburg made 10 of its first 15 shots. It was a familiar scene for the Marauders as they've dropped four in a row at East Stroudsburg, and trailed by double-digits in the first half in all four.
"Every time here, it's like watching Groundhog Day," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "That first 10 minutes, it's not handling the press well, giving up offensive rebounds and not playing with juice. We were stuck in mud and that's unacceptable having not played in a week."
Millersville was down 26-10 with 9:41 remaining in the first half but answered with an 11-1 run as ESU missed five consecutive shots. The Marauders, however, never got closer than six as ESU always had an answer. In the first half, it was Keni Williams hitting a 3-pointer to stretch the lead back to nine. Early in the second half, when the Marauders pulled within six again, Jalen Pichardo's three-point play quickly dashed the momentum.
"We played harder in the second half, but when we got close, we didn't make the plays to get even," said Stitzel. "We didn't shoot the ball well, missed foul shots, didn't get some 50-50 balls. When you are playing from behind, you need shots to go in and they didn't. For us to come back in the game, we needed to play better offensively."
Millersville and East Stroudsburg shot nearly the same percentage from the field, but the difference came behind the arc and at the line. Millersville shot 3 of 22 from three and 12 of 20 from the free throw line, while East Stroudsburg made (34) and attempted (45) more free throws than any PSAC team in any game all season. All three of Millersville's post players--Saraj Ali, Jase Holland and Cesar Tchilombo--fouled out of the game.
Five Warriors scored in double figures while Day Waters led four Marauders in double figures. Waters totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and matched a career high with five steals. Aamir Hurst scored 17 points. Saraj Ali and E.J. Matthews-Spratley scored 13 apiece.
"The word of the year is consistency," said Stitzel. "Right now we aren't consistent enough with our effort and toughness, and until we can put that 40 minutes together, we are going to struggle in these types of games. The good news is we have another chance in the next 48 hours to see if we have it in us, and I know we do."
The loss dropped Millersville out of second place in the PSAC East into a tie for third. The Marauders travel to first-place West Chester on Tuesday.
Millersville fell behind by 16 points, shooting just 3 of 13 from the field with three turnovers, while East Stroudsburg made 10 of its first 15 shots. It was a familiar scene for the Marauders as they've dropped four in a row at East Stroudsburg, and trailed by double-digits in the first half in all four.
"Every time here, it's like watching Groundhog Day," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "That first 10 minutes, it's not handling the press well, giving up offensive rebounds and not playing with juice. We were stuck in mud and that's unacceptable having not played in a week."
Millersville was down 26-10 with 9:41 remaining in the first half but answered with an 11-1 run as ESU missed five consecutive shots. The Marauders, however, never got closer than six as ESU always had an answer. In the first half, it was Keni Williams hitting a 3-pointer to stretch the lead back to nine. Early in the second half, when the Marauders pulled within six again, Jalen Pichardo's three-point play quickly dashed the momentum.
"We played harder in the second half, but when we got close, we didn't make the plays to get even," said Stitzel. "We didn't shoot the ball well, missed foul shots, didn't get some 50-50 balls. When you are playing from behind, you need shots to go in and they didn't. For us to come back in the game, we needed to play better offensively."
Millersville and East Stroudsburg shot nearly the same percentage from the field, but the difference came behind the arc and at the line. Millersville shot 3 of 22 from three and 12 of 20 from the free throw line, while East Stroudsburg made (34) and attempted (45) more free throws than any PSAC team in any game all season. All three of Millersville's post players--Saraj Ali, Jase Holland and Cesar Tchilombo--fouled out of the game.
Five Warriors scored in double figures while Day Waters led four Marauders in double figures. Waters totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and matched a career high with five steals. Aamir Hurst scored 17 points. Saraj Ali and E.J. Matthews-Spratley scored 13 apiece.
"The word of the year is consistency," said Stitzel. "Right now we aren't consistent enough with our effort and toughness, and until we can put that 40 minutes together, we are going to struggle in these types of games. The good news is we have another chance in the next 48 hours to see if we have it in us, and I know we do."
The loss dropped Millersville out of second place in the PSAC East into a tie for third. The Marauders travel to first-place West Chester on Tuesday.
Team Stats
MU
ESU
FG%
.425
.426
3FG%
.136
.292
FT%
.600
.756
RB
34
44
TO
13
17
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballHighlights: Men's Basketball Millersville vs. Bloomsburg (January 24, 2026)
Saturday, January 24
Highlights: Millersville Men's Basketball vs. Kutztown (January 21, 2026)
Thursday, January 22
Highlights: Millersville Men's Basketball vs. Shepherd (January 15, 2026)
Friday, January 16
Highlights: Millersville Men's Basketball vs. East Stroudsburg (January 7, 2026)
Thursday, January 08
