Millersville, Pa. - Visiting East Stroudsburg used a 15-2 run midway through the second half to rally from behind and top Millersville 85-77, winning its ninth consecutive game and the PSAC East as a result. The Marauders, locked in to the No. 4 spot in the upcoming PSAC Tournament, received 23 points from senior Marcus Adkison. 

East Stroudsburg (20-6, 17-3 PSAC) entered the game ranked second in Division II in turnovers forced and third in steals, yet Millersville (16-12, 11-9 PSAC), the second-youngest team in the PSAC withstood the relentless full-court press for the vast majority of the game. But with 12 minutes left and Millersville leading 56-55, East Stroudsburg received a 3-pointer from Jakwan Jones that started what would be the decisive run of the game. Over the next five minutes, East Stroudsburg rattled off a 15-2 run that saw Millersville go 0-for-5 from the field with seven turnovers. At the other end, ESU canned 6-of-10 shots including three 3-pointers in that same stretch. Before Adkison hit a triple to end the drought, ESU had built a 70-59 advantage with just over five minutes remaining. 

"The initial press, getting the ball in bounds and the first trap, I thought we did a really good job with," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "We didn't do as good of a job once the ball got in. We rushed things and let the speed of the game effect the way we were playing. We have to do a better job of staying calm. They wore us down. Nobody in our conference presses like them and it's tough for our younger guys to adjust to that when we only play them twice a season."

Millersville crept to within 75-69 with just under four minutes left, but after a steal in the backcourt, the Marauders missed a 3-pointer, then followed with two missed free throws and another missed three. The Marauders kept ESU to just one point in the next three minutes, but could not convert on the offensive end. Jones salted away the game at the free throw line, making five in the final 1:19. 

Jones finished with a game-high 25 points, making 3-of-6 threes and 8-of-10 foul shots. He scored 18 of those points as ESU out-scored the Marauders 50-38 in the final 20 minutes. ESU shot 16-of-25 (.640) from the field and 6-of-10 (.600) from three in the second half. Millersville made 17-of-27 (.630) percent in the first half and made 7-of-12 (.583) threes in the second. The Marauders, however, committed a season-high 26 turnovers--13 in each half. ESU scored 26 points off of those turnovers. 

Millersville opened the game on a 12-2 run that included threes from James Sullivan and Adkison. The Marauders led 37-27 with 2:26 left in the first, but ESU closed the period on an 8-2 run. 

"I thought we played better than being up by four at halftime," said Stitzel. "In the second half we didn't have the intensity on the defensive end that we needed. The first 10 minutes of the second half we did not have the same intensity as their defense. If we would have matched their energy we would have had a better chance to win the game.

"(East Stroudsburg) is a good, experienced team," said Stitzel. "We're getting close to being able to go toe-to-toe with the top three teams in our division, but we're still not there yet. We still have to play a little smarter. It's a process and we just have to keep getting better everyday."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Adkison matched a season high with seven threes made. He shot 6-of-7 from three in the second half. 
• Freshman Justin Nwosu scored 12 of his 18 in the first half, sinking 7-of-11 field goals and 4-of-6 free throws. 
• Freshman Jaden Faulkner scored 14 points and added seven assists. 
• Millersville, ranked just behind ESU for fourth in Division II in steals, forced ESU into 19 miscues. 

NOTES
• Millersville will now host No. 5 seeded Kutztown Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m., in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament. It is Millersville's first home playoff game since 2015. East Stroudsburg receives a bye into the quarterfinals. 
• East Stroudsburg won its eighth consecutive match-up with Millersville. 

QUOTABLE
"(Monday's playoff game with Kutztown) is going to be a war. The two games we played against Kutztown were intense. We didn't want to go into that game following a loss, and they're going to come in here very hungry to win. We'll have to match that intensity. If we're able to play like we did in the first half of this game I like our chances. If we let their defense dictate the tempo of the game we're going to have a tough time." - Casey Stitzel

UP NEXT
• Millersville and Kutztown meet for the third time this season. Millersville won the first two games. The most recent game at Millersville was decided in double overtime (106-98). The first game at Kutztown was a 94-92 final. 

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