MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - After 21 months away from Pucillo Gymnasium, the Millersville men's basketball team returned to its home court with an impressive 86-61 win over Frostburg State Saturday in game one of the first Ron Wilson Classic. 

Millersville's Khari Williams and Jaden Faulkner both scored 21 points to lead all scorers. It was Faulkner's first game since Nov. 24, 2019, and he also led Millersville with four assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Williams led an active Millersville defense with four steals. 

The buzz of returning to competition impacted the Marauders' offensive effectiveness early, but the defense stayed stingy and generated some easy buckets that got the Marauders rolling. Millersville scored 26 points off of Frostburg State's 19 turnovers, and the 14 steals led to 25 fast break points. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 
• Millersville started to pull away near the 13-minute mark of the first half. A bucket from Ryan Davis started a 14-4 Millersville run over the next five minutes. With just over five minutes remaining, James Sullivan's steal and coast-to-coast lay-up put the Marauders up 11, and they led by double-digits the rest of the game. 
• Frostburg State stayed with 13 until a Faulkner drive and score with 16:39 remaining started a 12-0 Marauder that extended the advantage to 25 points. Millersville extended its lead to 32 with 5:30 left. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Millersville scored 86 despite shooting 3-of-14 from 3-point range. Frostburg State was limited to 31% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from three. 
• Williams, Millersville's leader in fouls drawn in 2019-20, was back at it again, getting to the line 11 times and making nine. Faulkner went 7-of-9 from the stripe. 
• Caden Najdawi, active for the first time in two weeks after a preseason ankle injury, led Millersville with eight rebounds. He also blocked two shots and recorded three steals. 

POSTGAME REACTION FROM COACH CASEY STITZEL
• On the feeling of returning to competition: "It was a great feeling to be back out there. It's been so long. Guys were obviously a little rusty. We haven't opened at Pucillo in my previous five years here. It was a great crowd and it was awesome to recognize Ron (Wilson). Anytime you win a game, you have to be excited."
• On the slow offensive start: "Sometimes guys get over-excited and I think you saw that in the first half. But we kept our identity, which is defense. When we get stops and first rebounds, we are really tough in transition. We've got multiple ball-handlers and bigs who can run the floor. That's our identity, and we are going to stick to it all year."
• On the defensive effort: "In the last five minutes we played a lot of true freshmen and Covid freshmen, and they kept the intensity going on the defensive end. We just have to keep playing D. I thought we could have done a better job sharing the ball. We've got multiple guys who can get 20 on any given night. We'll always be successful offensively when we make the extra pass."

NOTES
• Saturday's game marked the first-ever meeting between Millersville and Frostburg State. It was also the first time Millersville has opened a season at home since 2015. Millersville improved to 16-6 since 1983 in openers at home. 
• The Ron Wilson Classic, which also includes Clarion and Claflin, is named on the honor of 1979 alum, Ron Wilson. Wilson played four seasons for the Marauders and has been a significant supporter of the program. • Before tip, the program held a moment silence in honor of the late Phil Fassnacht, a 1981 Millersville alum, who recently passed away. Fassnacht scored 1,376 points in his career and also pitched for the baseball team. Fassnacht and Wilson were teammates. After Fassnacht's passing, former teammates established a scholarship in his memory. 

UP NEXT
• Action at the Ron Wilson Classic continues Sunday in Pucillo Gymnasium. Clarion and Frostburg State play at 1 p.m., and Millersville and Claflin follow at 3 p.m.