MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – For the Millersville Marauders it was one of those nightmarish 40 minutes where absolutely nothing goes your way. The season's worst free throw shooting performance combined with inexplicable turnovers and bizarre bounces led to Lock Haven's 66-57 win that ended Millersville's season in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. 

In the final 14 minutes of a disastrous first half, Lock Haven outscored Millersville 26-11 as the Marauders committed nine turnovers and shot 3-of-11 from the field. At the half, Lock Haven had as many points off turnovers as Millersville had total points. Through sheer hustle, Millersville scratched and clawed its way from a 15-point halftime deficit to within two points with two minutes to play. But an inability to convert at the free throw line and turnovers plagued the Marauders all game, and it especially proved costly late. Twice in the last 2:30, Millersville pulled within one possession and went to the line with a chance to draw closer but missed. In that final stretch, Millersville made 2-of-5 free throws and turned the ball over three times. 

"The foul shooting, the layups, couldn't make a three and 20 turnovers against a team that did not press us," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "It was some skeletons that hadn't shown up in a long time. We struggled with the emotion of it. We were deflated by the West Chester loss and weren't able to come back from it. We've been such an up-and-down team mentally, and when you have to try to beat a team three times, it takes a war. Lock Haven came out with more energy. To their credit they came out hungry and wanted to prove something. 

Millersville finished the game 17-of-31 from the line and committed 20 turnovers that translated to 24 Lock Haven points. Millersville had also turned itself into one of the top rebounding teams in the PSAC, out-rebounding nine of the final 10 regular season opponents, and they held an edge on the glass and both regular season games against Lock Haven. But on Monday, Lock Haven won the battle 42-28--the most lopsided rebounding margin of the season for the Marauders. Millersville did get stops during its second-half comeback attempt, holding Lock Haven to 33.3% shooting, but nine offensive rebounds in the half and 15 in the game extended possessions, dashed Millersville's transition opportunities and drained time off the clock. Two of those offensive rebounds were back breakers in the final minute with Millersville trailing by just five. Both led to free throws which boosted Lock Haven's lead to nine and out of reach for the Marauders. 

"We went away from everything we did to win 11 out of 13 and went back to what we did when we lost five in a row," said Stitzel. "Tonight, we missed layups and couldn't get in rhythm. All of a sudden, we couldn't rebound."

Despite it all, Millersville had its chances late. Millersville trailed 56-53 with two minutes to play but missed one of two free throws. Lock Haven followed with a bucket, and a turnover by the Marauders led to a fastbreak dunk for the Bald Eagles. The Marauders then missed another foul shot and then gave up second-chance opportunities on consecutive possessions with an offensive foul sandwiched in between.

"It was a horrible night," said Stitzel. "We picked a bad time to play probably our worst game all year. There was energy in the second half, and we executed the press. If we could have made a couple more plays, we would have taken the lead. Had we played that hard in the first half, we probably win an ugly game."

Lock Haven shot just 41.1% from the field, made three 3-pointers and made 17 free throws in 22 attempts--the same amount of makes as the Marauders in nine fewer attempts. After shooting 31.8% in the first half, Millersville hit 48% in the second, but still shot 40.4% for the field and 2-of-11 from three for the game. 

Matt Dade led the Marauders with 15 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Jahme Ested scored 10 points to go with six rebounds. J.D. Gross scored 10 points with three steals. Ryan Davis pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and added seven points, three blocks and two steals. 

A LOOK AT THE SEASON
• The Marauders close their season an 18-11 record, winning 18-plus games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006-07/2007-08. The Marauders finished within one game of first place in the PSAC East and produced a nine-game winning streak in PSAC East play. The Marauders swept PSAC East-winning Shippensburg in the regular season series. In one stretch, Millersville held five consecutive opponents to fewer than 60 points for the first time since 1955. 
• Monday was the final game for three seniors--Justin Nwosu, Ryan Davis and Mekhi Hendricks. All three were part of four PSAC Tournament appearances and key figures in the 2022 PSAC East Championship and NCAA Tournament team. Nwosu finished with 1,275 career points, good for 26th all-time. 
• The Marauders are expected to return three starters, and seven players who averaged at least 13 minutes per game. Additionally, Jaden Faulkner, a two-time All-PSAC East selection who missed all of 2022-23 with an injury is also expected to return in 2023-24.