MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Tuesday night's 28-point performance was vintage Jaden Faulkner. After 20 months away from the court rehabbing from a second season-ending knee surgery, Faulkner looked every bit the two-time All-PSAC East performer as he willed Millersville to a 71-67 victory over Jefferson. 

With the Marauders' struggling to hit outside shots and their half-court offense stagnant, Faulkner took over the final 20 minutes, scoring 22 points, making his first five shots of the half, getting to the rim, making foul shots, and even sinking Millersville's only 3-pointer of the game. 

"That was the Jaden of old," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "When he's controlling the game like that, he's tough, he's quick, he gets to the rim. He's getting his explosion back."

Faulkner powered the Marauders from a 34-30 halftime deficit to a nine-point lead in just 11 minutes. He scored 14 of the team's 28 points in that stretch, and with the game tied 63-63 with just over three minutes to play, Faulkner scored six-straight points to give Millersville a 69-63 edge with fewer than a minute to play. Including his game-clinching free throw with one second left, Faulkner scored Millersville's final eight points. 

"He's getting his feel, his explosion, and his confidence back," said Stitzel. "When you go through what he went through in the last three years, there is some self-doubt at times. Today is one of those games where he said, 'Alright, we need a classic Jaden game,' and he willed us." 

Even with Faulkner's heroics, Jefferson had the ball in the hands of its best player and top scorer, Erik Timko, with three seconds left and a chance to tie the game. Ahmed Barba-Bey scored with 41 seconds remaining to pull the Rams within 70-67. Millersville nearly drained the full shot clock but as Day Waters drove to the hoop, Timko, providing help defense, swiped the ball free, and a jump ball went to the Rams. To prevent a game-tying 3-pointer, Millersville took fouls on four consecutive in-bounds passes, but with 3.7 seconds left, Timko caught the in-bounds pass moving toward his bench. As he jumped and turned to attempt the potential game-tying 3-pointer, the ball popped out of his grasp and landed in the baseline bleachers. 

"I've seen that shot go in way too many times in my time here, so when it slipped out of his hands I definitely took a sigh of relief," said Stitzel.

Timko entered the game averaging 23.5 points per game, but the Marauders limited him to a season-low eight points on 3-of-11 shooting and 0-of-6 shooting from three. Hakim Byrd led the Rams with 20 points, sinking four 3-pointers while the rest of the team shot 2-of-14 from three. 

"I thought the defense was good," said Stitzel. "Offensively, they are awesome. Timko is one of the best players in the country--an All-American. We did a great job with him. Teams have been making tough shots against us. We gritted it out and made enough plays at the end to win."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The score stood tied 12 times and the lead changed hands 10 times. 
• Millersville shot 50.8% from the field despite shooting 1-of-11 from three. 
• Matt Dade scored a season-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting and made 3-of-3 from the line. 
• Jahme Ested led the Marauders with six rebounds. Ested, Faulkner and Dade shared the team lead in assists with two apiece. 

MORE FROM STITZEL

• "We're not a finished product. We have a lot of work to do at both ends. To grind out that win, our toughness and our effort went up a level. That's a great way to go into a break. Hopefully, we'll come back for conference play with some good experience and continue to get better."

GAME NOTES

• Tuesday night's win was Millersville's second-ever win and first since 2007 over Jefferson. The series started in 1962, and Millersville is now 2-9 against the Rams. 
• Millersville has started 4-0 at home for the third season in a row. 

UP NEXT

• Millersville faces a stiff challenge to open PSAC play on Friday, Dec. 1 as Cal U enters 3-0 (with a game on Wednesday), ranked fourth in the latest D2CSC Atlantic Region Poll and receiving votes in the national poll. Millersville was ranked eighth in the region poll.