HOT SECOND HALF SHOOTING LIFTS MILLERSVILLE PAST KUTZTOWN

Feb. 20 – Forward Reggie Bates (jr. Chicago, Ill./Hubbard) scored 29 points, 18 of which came after halftime, to lead Millersville past visiting Kutztown University by a final of 80-67 Wednesday evening at Pucillo Gymnasium in front of a “blackout” crowd.

He also scored his 1,000th career point by making a free throw with 15:49 to play and giving the Marauders a 42-41 lead they would never relinquish.

The Marauders (18-6, 7-2), who moved up to third in this week’s NCAA Division II  East Region Rankings,  shot 57 percent (13-23) from the floor in the second half to overcome a one-point halftime deficit.  They also connected on 20-of-28 free throw attempts in the second half, including 10-of-12 with less than three minutes to play, to seal the win.

Bates, the second-leading scorer in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) coming into tonight’s contest, hit on 11-of-19 field goals in the game and finished 6-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Guard Charlie Parker (sr. Fawn Grove/Kennard-Dale) pitched in with 14 points while forwards Bernard Brown (jr. Harrisburg/Harrisburg) and RayQuan Miles (sr. Hampton, VA/Phoebus) finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The two teams battled back-and-forth in the first half with neither team able to pull away from the other. 

Millersville built an early five-point (12-7) lead with 14:42 to play after Parker found Bates for a two-handed slam that brought the crowd to its feet. 

Kutztown quickly erased the deficit and turned it into a Golden Bear lead by using a 19-9 run over the next 9:32.  Guard Dave Ben, who finished with a game-high 29 points, scored six of the Golden Bears points during the run.

Millersville would trail for only eight seconds in the second half.  Brown connected on a layup on the Marauders’ first possession of the second frame to erase the one-point halftime deficit.  Kutztown would keep the game close, tying the game at 41-41 on a three-point basket by Ben with 16:41 remaining.  Millersville eventually built an eight-point lead (53-45) midway through the quarter only to see Kutztown answer and keep the game within four points (57-53) with 5:48 to play.

After Bates scored six straight Marauder points to push the lead back to eight, Millersville finished the game by hitting their free throws down the stretch.

Bates total points at Millersville now stand at 886 points and rank him 43rd on Millersville's all-time scoring list. Bates also recorded 127 points as a freshman at Howard University.

Millersville forced Kutztown into 26 turnovers that resulted in 19 points for the Marauders.  Parker and Miles led the defensive attack for the Marauders with four steals apiece.  Rookie of the Week recipient Cory Bray (fr. Red Lion/Red Lion) pitched in with three steals as well. 

With the loss, Kutztown drops into a second-place tie with Millersville as both teams now sit at 7-2 in the Eastern Division.

Millersville will to continue to push for the top seed in the East when they travel to East Stroudsburg on Saturday, February 23, to take on the Warriors beginning at 3 p.m.