ABOUT THE GAME

• Millersville is off to its second 7-3 start in the last three seasons. Millersville has started PSAC play 2-2, just like the 2021-22 team that went on to win the PSAC East. The Marauders have had an 11-day layoff over the holidays but return home to take on a surprising 10-0 Gannon club that has climbed into the national rankings under first-year head coach Jordan Fee. Millersville is 6-1 at home, with its lone loss coming in overtime to now-nationally-ranked Cal U. The Marauders are also looking to bounce back from the Dec. 19 loss at Mercyhurst. Millersville has not lost back-to-back games since Jan. 11 and 14, 2023. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Matt Dade’s season-high 21 points against Mercyhurst boosted his career total to 999 points, and on Saturday, he will most certainly become the 41st player in Millersville history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Dade will be the seventh of Stitzel’s players to reach that mark. Dade has been remarkably consistent, scoring 10 or more points in 14 straight games dating back to last season.
• Jaden Faulkner is climbing up the career records. Against Edinboro, Faulkner moved past Coach Stitzel’s father, Glenn, for 31st place on Millersville’s scoring list with 1,135 points. Faulkner also jumped ahead of Phil Walker ’77 into sixth in career assists with 370, and is 15 steals from cracking the top 10. Faulkner ranks ninth among all active Division II players in career assists per game (4.9) and 32nd in steals per game. Faulkner and Lock Haven’s Justice Shoats are the only players to rank in the PSAC’s top 10 in points and assists. 
• Millersville has averaged 78.7 points on 46% shooting in seven home games at 68 points on 43.8% shooting in road games. The starkest contrast is with turnovers as the Marauders average 11.6 per game at home and 15.3 on the road. Unsurprisingly, the Marauders are 6-1 when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent.
   

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS

• This Gannon team is far different than the one that Millersville played last season. Gannon was 0-14 after that January match-up and finished 3-23. Jordan Fee, a former standout player at West Liberty and a pupil of Coach Jim Crutchfield, came to Gannon after helping Nova Southeastern win a national championship in 2023. Fee brought the same offensive philosophy to Gannon, and it now leads the nation in scoring at 116 points per game, ranking ahead of both Crutchfield’s current team (Nova Southeastern) and previous team (West Liberty). Gannon’s scoring is balanced. It leads the nation with 52.3 bench points per game. It is also first in fastbreak scoring (33.3 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage, and 12th in threes made. Defense isn’t a concern when averaging more than 100 points per game. Gannon ranks 274th out of 287 Division II teams in scoring defense. 

SERIES HISTORY

•  Gannon holds a 12-7 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1985-86. It’s been far more even since Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008-09 with the Golden Knights holding a slight 5-4 edge. Millersville has won two of three home games in that time frame, and last season in Erie, Matt Dade scored with two seconds remaining to lift the Marauders to a 66-64 win. Millersville trailed by 12 points with four minutes remaining before making the comeback.