ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
• Millersville has won six of its last seven including three of the last four on the road. The Marauders' win over Mansfield clinched them at PSAC Tournament berth for the second consecutive season, but with seven games left, the Marauders are three games clear of Kutztown for the No. 4 seed and just two games out of second place.
• West Chester is unbeaten at home this season, and that makes Millersville's task all the tougher. The Marauders have not won at West Chester since 2012-13, have lost 10 of the last 11 in Hollinger Fieldhouse and have scored just three road wins over West Chester in the last 22 years. The last time the Marauders went to Hollinger, they lost 107-63. That was the Marauders' worst defeat since 1964. Two of the last three games in Hollinger have been decided by more than 40 points. Overall, West Chester has won 10 in a row over the Marauders. That is the longest winning streak by either team in the series since Millersville won 13 in a row from 1984-1990. Scoring points in Hollinger has been the Marauders' primary issue. Over the last 16 games there, the Marauders have averaged just 60.8 points per game and have not scored more than 80 points in a regulation game since 2001-02.
• The Marauders have been a bit of a slump from three of late. After shooting 38.8 percent as a team and topping 40 percent eight times in the first 15 games, the Marauders have shot just 29.9 percent from three and shot under 30 percent in four of six. The Marauders, however, are 5-1 in those six games.
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Caden Najdawi recorded his seventh double-double of the season in the win over Mansfield. His rebounding production has skyrocketed of late. He averaged 5.6 boards per game as a freshman and 5.2 per game in the first six games of 2018-19. But since Dec. 1, Najdawi has averaged 9.0 boards per game and Millersville is 10-5 in that stretch. He has moved up to ninth in the PSAC in rebounding average. The Marauders are 6-1 when Najdawi grabs 10 or more rebounds, and they are 6-0 when out-rebounding their opponent. The last Marauder with seven double-doubles in a season was Eddie Callender in 2014-15.
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Jaden Faulkner scored 20 points for the first time on Dec. 19 against Pitt-Johnstown, and in the 11 games since, he has scored in double-figures nine times and scoring 18 or more six times. He has shot .554 from the field in that stretch while also leading the team with 5.3 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Faulkner now ranks sixth in the PSAC in assists and seventh in steals.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
Series vs. WCU: 97-103
Series Streak: WCU, 10
First Meeting: 1904 (L, 10-30)
Last Meeting: 2018 (L, 63-72)
Last 10 Meetings: 0-10
Casey Stitzel vs. WCU: 0-5
Damien Blair vs. Millersville: 16-6
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN RAMS
• Since starting the season 6-5, West Chester has been arguably the best team in the PSAC. West Chester has won 11 in a row and is 9-0 at home. West Chester's only two PSAC losses came in December on the road against IUP and Slippery Rock--the top two teams in the PSAC West standings. West Chester's 13.5 scoring margin is third-best in the PSAC. West Chester ranks fourth in the league in scoring defense and third in scoring offense. The team also owns the best 3-point field goal percentage defense. Only two teams over the past 15 games have shot it better than 35 percent from three. Jackson Hyland is the reigning PSAC East Player of the Week after scoring 30 at East Stroudsburg and 19 against Shippensburg.
THE LAST MEETING (Jan. 5, 2019 - West Chester 72, Ville 63)
• Millersville was held to its lowest shooting percentage and lowest point total of the season at that point, and at the same time, West Chester hammered the glass for 15 offensive boards that led to 21 second-chance points. The Marauders mustered just 22 first-half points, making just 8-of-29 shots and 1-of-11 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. The Marauders finished shooting 35.6 percent from the field. West Chester's rebounding margin was key to offsetting its 35.5 percent shooting and 18 turnovers.
