ABOUT THE GAME

• Millersville returns home to the friendly confines of Pucillo Gymnasium after a challenging opening two games on the road. Millersville’s first two games of the season followed a similar path. Against both Virginia State and Virginia Union, the Marauders were in a one-point game at halftime but started slowly in the second half. Virginia State shot 62.1% from the field in the final 20 minutes of the season opener while Virginia Union shot 60.9% from the field in the second half of game two. The Marauders allowed just six total 3-pointers in the two games but were victimized inside as the two opponents outscored the Marauders 78-38 in the paint. 
• Wednesday is Millersville’s home opener, and the Marauders have long been a tough team to beat in Pucillo Gymnasium. Millersville went 15-2 at home in 2021-22. Over the last three seasons, Millersville has gone 36-10 at home. 
•  Millersville has won three-straight home openers and all three wins have been by double-digits. Casey Stitzel is 4-1 in home openers as Millersville’s head coach, and as a program, Millersville has won 18 of the last 23 home openers. 
   

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville certainly faced a pair of quality opponents in the first two games, but Marauders struggled mightily with their shots. Only one Marauder (Drew Stover at 44%) converted better than 40% of his shots in the two games. Millersville attempted 26 more 3-pointers than both opponents and made just three more, finishing the weekend at 19.1% shooting from deep. Those two games were likely an aberration. Matt Dade was a 48.4% career shooter in two seasons at West Chester, Mekhi Hendricks is a career 40% shooter from three, Ryan Davis and Justin Nwosu are both career 47% shooters. 
• Millersville entered the season with a young roster, and over the weekend, Jahme Ested earned his first career starts while six players played in their first games as Marauders. Freshman Keith Mency led the team in assists with four against Virginia State. Dade, a newcomer to the Marauders, led the team in scoring (17) and rebounding (5) against Virginia State. 
• In the opener, senior Justin Nwosu became the 40th player in Millersville history to score over 1,000 career points. Nwosu has started in 89 games and played in 90, averaging 11.2 points per game. Nwosu has been the model of consistency, averaging between 24.9-31.5 minutes per game, shooting between 46.4% and 50.0% from the field while averaging between 9.5 and 13.8 points per game in his first three seasons. 
   

SCOUTING PENN STATE SCHUYLKILL

• Before playing Millersville Wednesday, Penn State Schuylkill plays Penn State Wilkes-Barre on the road Tuesday. Six of the team's first seven games are on the road. It's been a rocky start for Travis Williams' team, starting 0-5 with an overtime loss to Fisher and a five-point loss to McDaniel. 
• Penn State Schuylkill is averaging 57.8 points per game and hitting just 19.8% of its threes through five games. Dashawn Dixon is the team leader in both scoring (10.0) and rebounding (7.4). 

SERIES HISTORY

 Wednesday is the first-ever meeting between Millersville and Penn State Schuylkill. Penn State Schuylkill’s head coach, Travis Williams, is an alum of IUP. Millersville is 13-3 all-time against Penn State universities, including a win over Penn State University in 1908. The last Penn State team to beat Millersville was Penn State Mont Alto in 1908. 

THE LAST TIME OUT

• Millersville: #23 Virginia Union 62, Millersville 49 (Nov. 12, 2022) - For the second day in a row, Millersville's opponent turned a close game at the break into a win with a quick start to the final 20 minutes. On Saturday, No. 23 Virginia Union outscored the Marauders 12-1 in the first three-plus minutes of the second half and held on for an 61-49 win. Mekhi Hendricks led Millersville in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 shooting from three. Ryan Davis added 10 points. 
• Penn State Schuylkill: Point Park 84, PSS 51  (Nov. 12, 2022) - PSS scored just 20 points in the second half, shooting 4-of-21 from three and 50% from the line. Deshawn Dixon and Bryce Hensley led the team with 10 points apiece.