ABOUT THE GAME

• With five games remaining on the schedule, five teams sit within 1 1/2 games of first place in the PSAC East, and Millersville and Lock Haven trail Shippensburg by just a half-game. Wednesday’s game in Pucillo Gymnasium not only holds significance in the PSAC East standings, but it is also an opportunity for Millersville to grab the head-to-head tiebreaker against Lock Haven, having won the first meeting 73-67 on Jan. 21. Of the five teams in the mix, Millersville may have the toughest road as four of the five games remaining are against four of the top five teams in the standings and three of the games are on the road. Millersville, however, has won eight games in a row--the longest active winning streak in the PSAC. The team’s last two wins have been by a combined total of 68 points. That’s the largest margin of victory in back-to-back games since 1992-93 when the Marauders beat the District of Columbia and Bloomsburg by a combined 86 points. It is the first time in the divisional era (1970-71) that Millersville has won back-to-back PSAC East games by 30 or more points.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville is on an historic defensive run, holding four consecutive opponents to fewer than 60 points for the first time since 1955-56. Millersville has held five of its last six opponents to fewer than 60, improving to 8-1 on the season when doing so. During the eight-game winning streak, Millersville has held opponents to 60.8 points per game on 39.7% shooting from the field and 29.3% shooting from three. In the first 15 games of the season before the streak, Millersville allowed 66.8 points per game on 44.8% shooting and 37.6% shooting from three. Millersville also holds a 35.8-30.4 rebounding margin in the last eight games. No opponent has scored more than 72 points.
• Millersville has won eight-straight PSAC East games for the second season in a row and for just the seventh time in program history. The last time Millersville had an eight-game PSAC East winning streak in back-to-back seasons was in 1984-85 and 1985-86. The previous six teams to perform the feat all won the PSAC East.
• As good as Millersville’s defense has been over the last eight games, the offense has improved as well, averaging 74.4 points while shooting 47.8% from the field and 37.0% from three compared to 69.2/43.8%/30.0% in the first 15 games.
• Millersville has three players averaging double-figures in points but no player ranks in the PSAC’s top 25 in scoring. Millersville holds a positive rebounding margin on the season and has won the rebounding battle in five-straight games but no player ranks in the PSAC’s top 25 in rebounding average. 
   

SCOUTING LOCK HAVEN

• Since the loss at home to Millersville on Jan. 21, Lock Haven has won five of six, including road wins at East Stroudsburg at Bloomsburg. Lock Haven averages 75.6 points per game and ranks fourth in the PSAC in shooting percentage (47.0) and third in 3-point shooting (36.4). The key to beating Lock Haven is slowing its offense, and 70 is the magic number. Lock Haven is 12-0 when scoring more than 70 and 4-6 when scoring fewer. Jayy Davis is among the best 3-point shooters in the PSAC. He is sixth in total attempts and ranks seventh in percentage (41.9) among players with at least 70 attempts. Lock Haven's 16 wins are already the fifth-most in program history.

SERIES HISTORY

• Millersville has won five in a row and nine of the last 10 against Lock Haven. Since 1984, Lock Haven has won just twice in Pucillo Gymnasium (2-20) but Mike Nestor owns both of those wins (76-71 in 2014 and 78-65 in 2016). Lock Haven has not beaten a Casey Stitzel-coached Millersville team at Pucillo. Seven of the last 11 match-ups have been decided by single-digits.
• The Last Meeting Millersville 73, Lock Haven 67 (1/21/2023): Millersville led wire-to-wire, fighting off every charge Lock Haven had in it for a 73-67 road win. Matt Dade led the Marauders with 15 points and a career-high six assists, and Dylin Borden finished with six steals. Dade and Drew Stover (11 points) were effective scoring in the post, and when Lock Haven turned its defensive attention to the interior, Millersville took advantage of its open looks from three, sinking 8-of-16. Justin Nwosu finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, and he and freshman Day Waters led the team with two threes each. Nwosu and Waters hit threes on back-to-back possessions late in the second half to quell another Lock Haven run and keep their team in the lead.