Last season ended prematurely and in disappointing fashion for the Millersville men’s basketball team. After losing to Lock Haven 66-57 in the first round of the PSAC Tournament, head coach Casey Stitzel and the rest of his crew knew there was still work to be done in the offseason. However, with an established roster of returning players including Matt Dade, Drew Stover, Jaden Faulkner, and Day Waters, it was apparent the Marauders would be a contender yet again the following year.
Sixteen games into the 2023-2024 season, the Marauders find themselves tied for first in the PSAC East with an overall record of 13-3 including 8-2 thus far in conference play. The team is also in the midst of an impressive six-game win streak, five of which they outscored their opponents by double digits.
This past weekend, the team went north to Mansfield University to take on the Mountaineers. The game did not start as planned for the Marauders as they trailed by as much as nine early into the first half. After an emphatic 11-2 run over the final few minutes of the half, Millersville took their first lead of the game with just eight seconds left in the half of play.
“I didn’t think we guarded well in the first half, but we settled in defensively in the second half and that allowed us to play faster,” said Stitzel.
Millersville controlled the second half of the game, penetrating the Mansfield defense, getting uncontested looks at the basket. The team shot an impressive 62.5% from the field in the second half on their way to an 82-64 win over the Mansfield Mountaineers. Over the course of the game, the Marauders only attempted nine threes, five of which they made.
The three-headed monsters of Faulkner, Dade, and Stover combined for 52 of the Marauders’ 84 points. It was Faulkner who led the way for Millersville with 21 points on just six field goals, all of which came from inside the three-point arch. Faulkner, a graduate student originally from Landover, Maryland, missed all of the 2022-2023 season with a knee injury. The guard has made his presence felt this season, averaging 16.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds per game.
“In the first half of the season, we didn’t handle adversity well, but they are learning to fix it during the game instead of the next day at practice. We are sharing the ball and we have good players. Our older players are playing with a sense of urgency. They are trusting each other and the staff. But we have a long way to go. We have a lot of room to improve,” said head coach Casey Stitzel following the win.
Millersville is currently tied for first place in the PSAC East with East Stroudsburg University, whom they will face on Jan. 27 at Koehler Fieldhouse in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The game could prove to be a pivotal one coming down the stretch of the season in a tightly-knit PSAC East Conference.
“That’s exciting that we haven’t peaked yet. We want to peak at playoff time. We will continue to say it every day, we have to stay confident but have humility,” said Stitzel.
