PREVIEW: Marauders building momentum for stretch run

Saturday, February 7

Millersville, PA

3:00 PM

Millersville University

Mansfield

Photo by: Kaya Wagner 2026

PREVIEW: Marauders building momentum for stretch run

2/6/2026 2:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

Countdown to Gameday

Millersville Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball

vs Mansfield

Feb 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM

Days

Hours

Mins

Secs

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ABOUT THE GAME

Millersville is shooting for a 3-0 week when it hosts Mansfield on Saturday. The Marauders have won four of the last five and four in a row at home. They are 9-3 at home on the season, outscoring opponents by 12.3 points per game. The Marauders are surrendering just 67.8 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot just 27.2% from three in those 12 home games. Millersville’s first two wins of the week have put it into a tie with East Stroudsburg for second place in the East, just one game behind West Chester with six regular season games remaining. The Marauders have already clinched a PSAC Tournament berth. It marks the first time since 1984-1991 that the program has reached the postseason in eight consecutive seasons. The current streak also ties for the longest in program history.

MBB: Win! 78-59 pic.twitter.com/TlXLozq3li
— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) February 5, 2026

Casey Stitzel won his 150th game as Millersville’s head coach earlier in the week. He joins Fred Thompson (1998-16), John Kochan (1983-96) and Dick DeHart (1956-82) as Millersville coaches with at least 150 wins. Stitzel’s Marauders have also won at least 15 games in seven consecutive seasons. Only one other coach--Kochan from 1984-96--accomplished that feat at Millersville. Stitzel is the second-fastest to 150 wins, trailing only Kochan, who reached that mark in seventh season. Since 2021-22, Millersville’s winningest percentage is .696, which is the program’s best five-year stretch since a .741 run from 1991-1996.
Day Waters bounced back from a 1 for 7, six-point game against West Chester with 25 points on 11 of 19 shooting against Shippensburg Wednesday. It was Waters’ 12th 20-plus point performance of the season. He jumped to second in the PSAC (and first among Eastern Division players) in scoring average at 19.5 points per game. Waters recorded two more steals Wednesday as well, giving him at least one steal in eight consecutive games. Waters has 18 steals in those eight games but still ranks second on the team to Aamir Hurst, who ranks 13th in the PSAC in steals and has at least one in 20 of 22 games.
Millersville is the PSAC’s top shot-blocking team, swatting 4.45 per game. Millersville has blocked at least three shots in eight consecutive games and in 20 of 22 this season. Cesar Tchilombo ranks 11th, Saraj Ali ranks 14th, Waters ranks 18th and Aamir Hurst is 23rd in the PSAC. While Drew Stover led the PSAC in blocks in 2023-24, Millersville has not led the PSAC in blocked shots as a team since 2013-14 when it averaged 4.67 per game and were led by Xavier Mumford’s 2.4 per game.
A move into the sixth-man role has boosted E.J. Matthews-Spratley’s production and efficiency. In the last nine games off the bench, Matthews-Spratley has averaged 10.8 points per game, shooting 38% from three, and Millersville’s bench production is up more than five points per game, outscoring the opponent’s bench 25.3-18.8 per game.
Dante Weise, the PSAC leader in assist/turnover ratio (2.7) has recorded 13 turnovers to just two assists in the last two games.

SERIES HISTORY

Millersville has dominated the series with Mansfield since it began in 1933-34. The Marauders hold a 101-59 lead with 15 consecutive wins. Millersville has won 12 in a row at Pucillo Gymnasium with Mansfield’s last win in the building coming in 2012. Since 1983-84, Millersville is 34-7 at home against the Mountaineers. Mansfield’s last win at Pucillo was part of a run of 10 wins in 11 meetings for Mansfield. Since 2013-14, however, Millersville has won 19 of 20. Stitzel is 16-1 against Mansfield. Six of the last seven games have been decided by double-digits, and Millersville has won the last three games by an average margin of 25.7 points per game. On Jan. 12, Millersville won 82-62 behind 19 points from Saraj Ali and 17 from Day Waters. Ali has played against his former team twice, averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.