Griffins stun Marauders in final seconds

Wednesday, March 4

Millersville, PA

7:00 PM

Millersville University

20-9,15-6PSAC

Seton Hill

18-12,10-11PSAC

Seton Hill

Millersville

Griffins stun Marauders in final seconds

3/4/2026 9:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville rallied from a 21-point deficit and took the lead in the final minute only to have its postseason dramatically end when Seton Hill's Rashaad Williams stole an inbound pass and scored with one second remaining for a stunning 77-75 win in Pucillo Gymnasium.

For the second time in as many seasons, Seton Hill stole a two-point win in Pucillo, but this one advanced the Griffins to the PSAC Semifinals for the first time under Ben Wilkins. Seton Hill's spacing, backdoor cuts and kick-out threes against a flat-footed Millersville defense helped it to a 38-17 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half. Millersville shot just 38% from the field and 20.7% from three, and was out-rebounded 43-35 with 19 second-chance points proving crucial for the Griffins.

"The first 10 minutes lost us the game," said Stitzel. "We were ready to play, but the way they play bothered us a little bit. With the week layoff, we were stuck in the mud more than usual. We did a great job battling back. Everyone is going to talk about the last play, but it was the offensive rebounding. So many times all year we had chances to put teams away and we gave up an offensive rebound. Sometimes your season ends on your deficiencies. It almost cost us (against West Chester) last Wednesday, and it cost us tonight."

Millersville out-scored the Griffins 58-39 over the final 26 minutes, but the few leads it held were fleeting.

A fall-away corner 3-pointer from Camden Brewer snatched a one-point lead from the Marauders with 36 seconds to play. Day Waters' second-chance 3-pointer with 20 seconds left put the Marauders back on top. Brewer, however, struck again. Out of a timeout with eight seconds to play, Millersville forced Dimitrios Skalvenitis to miss on a drive, but Brewer crashed for the offensive rebound and was fouled. He made one of two to tie the game.

With 3.4 seconds remaining, Millersville set-up a long pass and shot attempt, but with the pass into the backcourt taken away, Dante Weise went to his final option with the five-second count closing in. Aamir Hurst stood at the 3-point line, but Williams stepped in front of the inbounds pass, bolted to the basket and scored an and-one for the lead. Millersville had no timeouts remaining, so Williams missed the free throw on purpose, forcing a desperation heave from the Marauders at the buzzer.

"It's a tough loss anytime you lose that way," said Stitzel. "The last two years, we've had too many losses like this. You wish you could have that play back...I'll have to watch the film to see exactly what we could have done differently, but if we could do it over again, we'd like to see Dante (Weise) throw it deep to Saraj (Ali), and then he has two or three dribbles to make a play and has Day in the corner. But the last two years, plays like that just keep happening and happening, and we have to figure out a way to stop it from happening."

Millersville held the lead for a mere one minute of the game, and never led by more than one. The Marauders finally erased the deficit with 7:39 to play on two Ali free throws but gave it right back on with a Williams three-point play. The Marauders shot 2 of 16 from three in the second half, missing 14 in a row in between makes.

"There were a few times that the doors were about to blow off this place if we hit a shot, and we could never get it," said Stitzel. "Finally, Day hits the shot to put us up one, but we gave up the offensive rebound. We did a great job out of the timeout guarding the play, and if we grab the offensive rebound and get fouled the game is over. That's been our kryptonite all season."

Waters finished with a game-high 20 points. Cesar Tchilombo made 6 of 7 shots for 13 points, blocked four shots and grabbed 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Weise totaled 11 points, three assists and three steals. Brewer finished with 20 for Seton Hill, drilling 5 of 6 from three.

The Marauders are likely on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament with a 20-9 record. The season, however, included a share of the PSAC East title for the third time in five seasons. Waters, Ali, Hurst and E.J. Matthews-Spratley all finished their careers with more than 1,000 career points. The team set a school record for free throw shooting percentage and led the PSAC in field goal percentage defense for the first time in in the modern stats tracking era. Waters' 571 points scored were the 13th-most in program history, and his 19.7 points per game average is the highest by a Marauder since 1993.

"It was a good year," said Stitzel. "We were up and down at times, but I thought we finished well. There were times that we could have done things a little better, but for the most part we played our best basketball at the end. It was a good year, but the standard is to get to the (PSAC Tournament) final four, and we fell short of that. I have to own that, and everyone has to own that. We lose a lot of good seniors, and it will be hard to replace them."