The Game Stories
} Edinboro returned from the Christmas holiday with an 88-66 win over Thiel on December 30.  It marked the final non-conference game, with the remaining 17 games against PSAC foes.  The Thiel win left the Fighting Scots with a 7-2 record, along with 3-2 in the PSAC.  They opened the season with five straight wins, the longest streak since the 2008-09 team began the year with eight straight wins.  The Scots suffered a mini-slump with losses to California(Pa.) (82-71) and Cheyney (70-68 in overtime) before coming away with a 94-73 victory over West Chester.
} Edinboro opened the season with three straight games at McComb Fieldhouse, then played their next three games on the road.   The Fighting Scots just concluded another three-game homestand to end 2012.  After the two-game PSAC crossover swing to Shippensburg and Millersville, the Fighting Scots return return home for three games.  It begins with their final set of PSAC crossover games, hosting Kutztown on January 11 and East Stroudsburg on January 12.  Edinboro then hosts Gannon on January 16.
} Head coach Greg Walcavich is in his 24th season in charge of the Fighting Scots, showing a 418-243 record.  Including stints at Birmingham Southern and West Virginia Wesleyan he is 572-306 overall as he is in his 31st season as a head coach.
} Edinboro was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC?West.  Millersville was picked fifth in the Eastern Division preseason poll, with Shippensburg seventh. 
} Shippensburg last played on December 19, dropping a 66-58 decision to Gannon at home.  That was the Red Raiders' sixth straight loss, leaving them at 2-7 overall and 0-5 in the PSAC East.  Shippensburg is 2-4 at Heiges Field House. 
} Millersville is the biggest surprise in the PSAC East so far, off to an 8-3 start, just one win shy of last year's total.  The Marauders are 4-1 in conference play and 6-1 at Pucillo Gymnasium.  Millersville hosts Slippery Rock on January 4 before facing Edinboro.  Edinboro has never won at Pucillo Gymnasium, losing all previous seven meetings.
} Edinboro has won three of four games against the Eastern Division, winning at Mansfield and Bloomsburg, before losing to Cheyney and defeating West Chester at McComb Fieldhouse.  
 
Scouting Shippensburg
} Shippensburg plays for the first time since December 19 seeking to snap a six-game losing streak.  The Red Raiders own a 2-7 record and are 0-5 in PSAC action.  Shippensburg opened the season with an 86-83 overtime win over Chestnut Hill, and made it two wins in the first three games with a 69-56 win over Penn State Mont Alto.  The Red Raiders are 2-4 at Heiges Field House.  Joe Lococo, a 6'2” freshman, leads the team in scoring at 13.3 ppg.  He has made 19 of 56 three-pointers and has a team-leading 11 steals.  Junior Dylan Edgar, a 6'10” center, adds 12.7 ppg. and a team-high 7.9 rpg.  He is shooting 59.3 percent from the floor (35 of 59).  Reggie Charles is also in double figures at 11.8 ppg.  The 6'2” sophomore adds a team-high 41 assists.  Shippensburg is averaging 68.1 ppg. while giving up 74.4 ppg.  Turnovers have been an issue, as they average 19.0 per game, and are last in the PSAC?in turnover margin.          
 
The Edinboro-Shippensburg Series
 
} Edinboro leads 35-13
Edinboro saw a five-game winning streak against Shippensburg come to an end as the Red Raiders prevailed 77-63 a year ago at Heiges Field House.
 
The Last Meeting
 
} December 3, 2011 --  Shippensburg 77, Edinboro 63
Free throws and rebounding proved the difference as the Red Raiders snapped a five-game losing streak to Edinboro.  Shippensburg made 21 of 27 free throws compared to 8 of 17 for Edinboro.  In addition, the Fighting Scots were outrebounded, 39-28.   The Red Raiders scored the first six points of the game and never trailed.  They led by as much as 15 points in the first half before settling for a 40-32 lead at the half.  Edinboro closed to 53-49 with nine minutes remaining but Ship answered with an 8-2 run.   Isaiah Prince and Bryan Theriot led the Scots with 17 points apiece, with Prince making 5 of 11 3-pointers.  Theriot was 7 of 8 from the floor and had six rebounds.   Cory Somerville had 15 points and seven rebounds.  Dylan Edgar led four Red Raiders in double digits with 17 points.  Craig Van Scyoc had a big double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Sam Pygatt contributed 12 markers and John Corrigan 11.
 
Scouting Millersville
} Millersville enters the weekend play tied for first in the PSAC East with East Stroudsburg, and plays Slippery Rock on Friday.  The Marauders opened the year with back-to-back losses before running off seven straight wins.  Gannon snapped the streak with a 69-52 decision, but the Marauders came back the next day for a 72-60 win over Mercyhurst the next day.  Millersville ranks third in the PSAC in scoring defense at 61.0 ppg., and senior Elijah Obade leads the conference in rebounding (13.1 rpg.) and blocked shots (3.1 per game).  The 6'9” center adds 14.7 ppg. and ranks second in the PSAC in field goal percentage (65.3 pct.).  Senior guard Larry Grant is the leading scorer at 15.8 ppg. and has made 23 of 64 three-pointers.  Gannon transfer Brandon Belt adds 8.7 ppg. with 15 3-pointers.          
 
The Edinboro-Millersville Series
 
} Millersville leads 14-6
Prior to last year's 73-58 win over Millersville, the Fighting Scots had lost six of the previous seven meetings with the Marauders.  Edinboro has never won at Pucillo Gymnasium, losing all seven meetings in a series which first began in 1985-86.
 
The Last Meeting
 
} December 10, 2011 --  Edinboro 73, Millersville 58
After falling behind 10-0 to start the game, Edinboro jumped out to a big lead, then survived a late Millersville rally with a game-ending 12-2 run to prevail at McComb Fieldhouse.  The win came with leading scorer and rebounder Bryan Theriot on the sideline with an injury.  After the slow start, Edinboro eventually pulled ahead 57-37 before a 19-4 Millersville run made things interesting.  The Scots would hold Millersville scoreless over the final 2 minutes, 24 seconds.   Clint Nicholson and Cory Somerville paced the Fighting Scots with 19 points apiece.  Nicholson also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.  Somerville had five boards and three blocked shots. Isaiah Prince was also in double digits with 16 points.    Larry Grant led Millersville with 18 points, but Anthony Coleman was the only other Marauder in double figures, ending with 10 points.  Edinboro shot 43.5 percent from the floor while holding Millersville to 34.9 percent.  The Marauders held a 43-37 edge on the glass, but Edinboro committed just 11 turnovers while forcing 19 Marauder miscues.
 
The Coaches
 
} Greg Walcavich, Edinboro -- is in his 24th season at the helm of the Fighting Scots and his 31st overall as a head coach.  He has a 419-243 record at Edinboro and is 573-306 overall.  Walcavich has also previously served as the head coach at Birmingham Southern and West Virginia Wesleyan. (For an indepth bio see page 8)
} Dave Springer, Shippensburg  -- is in his 12th year as head coach of the Red Raiders, showing a 139-176 record.  He also served as Millersville's interim head coach in 1996-97.  All told, he owns a 150-191 record as a head coach.  In 2005-06, Springer produced his most successful team, as it won a Shippensburg-record 24 games, captured the PSAC Western Division title with an 11-1 conference mark and was a runner-up in the PSAC Championship. It was Shippensburg's first PSAC West crown since 1989, and at season's end the Red Raiders nabbed the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Division II East Region and made the school's second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1991.
He was named the PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year for the 2006 season.  Springer, who was an assistant coach at California(Pa.) in 2001, has coached in the PSAC for 17 years at three different universities.  He joined the Shippensburg coaching staff as a graduate assistant at the start of the 1988-89 academic year and he was promoted to full-time assistant coach the following year.
} Fred Thompson, Millersville  -- is in his 15th season at Millersville with a record of 228-175. He ranks third in the program's history for career wins.  Thompson's teams have made four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, won three PSAC Eastern Division titles and captured two PSAC Tournament championships. He has been named the PSAC East Coach of the Year three times. Thompson has guided the program to three NCAA Division II East Regional title games.  During the 2006-07 season, Thompson led the Marauders to the most wins  in school history (28). His 2002-03 squad finished with 26 wins, tied for the second-most in school history.
     
The Last Time Out
 
} Edinboro 88, Thiel 66 -- on December 30, Jay Fletcher led four players in double figures as the Fighting scots pulled away for their second straight win.  The senior guard scored 22 points and added seven assists.  Bryan Theriot added 18 points, with Isaiah Prince contributing 17 points, five assists and five steals.  Xavier Churnac was the fourth player in double figures, ending with 14 points along with a team-high seven rebounds.  Edinboro shot 53.3 percent from the floor, including 57.6 percent in the second half, and was a near-perfect 20 of 22 from the line.  Thiel was held to 39.7 percent from the floor and was outrebounded, 39-26.
} Gannon 66, Shippensburg 58  -- the Red Raiders last played on December 19, suffering their sixth straight loss, a 66-58 loss to Gannon.  Dylan Edgar finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Sam Pygatt sdded 10 points.  Reggie Charles contributed eight points and five assists.
} Millersville 72, Mercyhurst 60  -- on December 19, the Marauders outscored Mercyhurst, 42-28, in the second half after trailing 32-30 at the half.  After shooting just 34.3 percent in the first half they shot a sizzling 63.2 percent in the second half, making 12 of 19 shots.  Jaymes Miller made all nine of his field goal attempts and finished with 18 points, adding five steals.  Larry Grant had 17 points and Elijah Obade finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.