Millersville, Pa. -- The Marauders celebrated Senior Day by clinching their first playoff berth since the 2014-15 season on the back of freshman James Sullivan's new career-high 25 points as Millersville beat Lock Haven 73-69 Saturday afternoon.

Sullivan led all scorers on 11-17 shooting which also marked a new career-high in made field goals. The guard hit two big threes during the game, but he did most of his work at close range as he darted through Lock Haven's bigs.

With the win, Millersville improved to 10-17 and 8-13 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and clinched the sixth seed in the PSAC East. Head Coach Casey Stitzel guided the Marauders to the PSAC playoffs in only his second season at the helm.

Before tip-off, the Marauders celebrated the careers of senior guards Conrad Chambers and Jordan Greene. Both Chambers and Greene were instrumental in the Marauders returning to the postseason. They were also instrumental in the victory against Lock Haven as they were the only other Marauders to score in double figures. Chambers and Greene combined for 24 points on 40 percent shooting. Greene finished his final game in Pucillo Gymnasium with an exclamation mark as he snagged 11 rebounds to earn his fifth career double-double.

The first half began with Millersville and Lock Haven trading baskets in the opening eight minutes. A three-pointer from Matt Cerruti sparked a 14-6 scoring run for Lock Haven as the Bald Eagles lead 24-16. Chambers and Greene responded by starting a 10-0 run for the Marauders that earned a 26-24 lead deep into the half. However, the Bald Eagles, spurred on by Amir Hinton's seven points closed out the half on an 8-2 run. Both teams entered their locker rooms with Lock Haven leading 36-30.

Sullivan led the way in the first half with 10 points on 5-8 shooting. The freshman helped fill the void as junior Marcus Adkison missed 10 minutes of the first half because of two early fouls. Chambers and Greene combined for an additional 12 points to help aid Sullivan's scoring efforts.

Millersville came out of the locker room ready to grind out a run. Sullivan and Adkison led the way with five a piece in the opening minutes of the second half to start a 12-4 scoring run for Millersville. The Marauders capitalized on cold shooting from Lock Haven in the opening five minutes.

Following a key three-pointer from Adkison that cut Lock Haven's lead to only two, Najdawi showed off his hops on the defensive end as he swatted a Lock Haven shot down the court. Chambers scooped up the ball and pushed up the court before Sullivan finished at the rim to tie the game up at 40-40. Again, another missed shot from Lock Haven and another track race up the court led to Chambers getting the easy lay up to give Millersville its first lead of the second half.

Hinton and Cerruti willed their team into a 12-8 scoring run that lasted until the ten minute mark of the second half. Down 52-50, Sullivan hit a three to take the lead back and start another big Millersville scoring run. Four minutes later, Millersville earned its largest lead of the game as Lock Haven trailed 61-55. Lock Haven cut Millersville's lead slowly as the teams traded scoring possessions. Finally, a three-pointer from Ra'eese Hunt at the four minute mark gave Lock Haven a tentative one point lead. 

On Millersville's next possession, Greene laid up the ball to take the lead back at 66-65, and the Marauders never trailed again in the game. A 7-0 run that began with Greene's lay up put the game out of reach as Lock Haven could not cut Millersville's lead below two possessions.

Millersville won with grit as the team over came a negative rebounding margin, less made free throws, and less made three pointers. The opportunistic Millersville defense forced Lock haven into 16 turnovers while only conceding 5 turnovers itself. The Marauders outscored the Bald Eagles 40-28 in the paint,15-5 off turnovers, and 11-7 off second chance points.

Millersville heads to East Stroudsburg on Feb. 24 to take on the Warriors at 3 p.m. East Stroudsburg is currently one of four teams with an opportunity to clinch the number one seed in the PSAC East.