The Millersville Marauders jumped out to a good start this basketball season with a 4-1 record.  With wins over Penn State Abington, C.W. Post, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and Lock Haven, the team shows promise for a great year.  After being ranked 7th in the PSAC East, the Marauders strived to prove doubters wrong and show they can win games before meeting conference opponents.

The Marauders handled a high pressure game against C.W. Post, winning in overtime 76-73. Pushing C.W. Post to overtime (30-1 record last season), the Marauders came up big at the end of regulation.  Down 63-61, Senior guard Jason Blake drove into the lane and tied up the score with four seconds left in regulation forcing overtime.

The Marauders came up clutch again in the last minute of overtime.  Sophomore Mike Seibert hit a three pointer with 32 seconds left to help Millersville defeat C.W. Post. Seibert tallied five points in the game, but his last three were the most important for the Marauders. Seniors Blake and Palmer McDurfee led the Marauders in scoring, each with 19 points.

Against University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, the Marauders put together an impressive defensive effort. They held University of the Sciences to 7-24 shooting in the first half, and 2-9 from three point distance in the game. Scoring was balanced for Millersville, nine different players recorded points.

After a defeat against Philadelphia, the Marauders hoped to get back on track against Lock Haven on Monday. The offense was explosive for the Marauders, including a 32 point performance by sophomore Brandon Widener. Widener was an impressive six for seven from behind the three point arc, and shot 11 for 14 overall. Senior center Alen Ahmetovic was amazed by Widener’s performance. Ahmetovic said, “Honestly, I’ve seen guys score 30 points before, but I’ve never seen somebody dominate a game like he did.  He was making unbelievable shots and everything was going in.  It was an amazing performance by a great player.”

The Marauders were efficient in the little things, they out-rebounded Lock Haven, and shot over 75 percent from the free throw line. Millersville came out strong in the first half, outscoring the Eagles 43-29. They shot an outstanding 63 percent from the floor and 60 percent from three point in the first half. The Marauder’s shooters were on fire. McDurfee added 14 points, and sophomore Nigel Davis had 13 points for Millersville.

The Marauders have two more games left before the Main Street Classic begins on December 29 in West Virginia. Virginia State comes to Millersville on Saturday and the Marauders face Goldey-Beacom at home Monday. Millersville wants to continue playing tough defense which helps them get into a rhyme on offense.

Ahmetovic said, “We have been playing great as a team so far this season. We are running our offense the way we want and everybody is working together as a team. This weekend we want to continue doing that, play good defense and be effective on offense. If we limit our turnovers and execute plays, we have a great shot at winning games.”