ERIE, Pa. - Millersville's 24-win season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as No. 16 West Liberty pulled away in the second half, turning a one-point halftime lead into a 96-75 win.
 
Millersville (24-7) faded in the final 20 minutes against West Liberty's (26-6) unrelenting full-court press, and that coincided with the Hilltoppers' shots starting to fall. West Liberty, the region's No. 4 seed, out-scored the Marauders 58-37 in the second half, shooting 60% from the field. West Liberty executed its offense brilliantly, totaling 16 assists to just one turnover in the second half. West Liberty finished with 26 assists and eight turnovers.
 
"I've always learned that when your season ends, the skeletons that have bothered you all year show up, and they showed up in the second half," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. "We didn't bring it the way we did in the first half. We had miscommunications and didn't talk on defense. The skeletons showed up at the worst time."
 
Millersville earned the region's No. 5 seed and won five games against regionally-ranked teams during the season and did so relying heavily on the size and strength of post players Matt Dade and Drew Stover and the downhill drives of Jaden Faulkner. According to Stitzel, Faulkner was playing hobbled Friday night, and West Liberty's five-out offense presented a challenging defensive match-up. Millersville also spent five of the previous seven games battling full-court presses, which noticeably wore down Marauders in its two postseason losses.
 
"I don't think in my 18 years that we've played against so many press teams in the last three weeks of the season," said Stitzel. "We've put in six press breaks. It's unique. We have more of a conventional team with two bigs, so that brings a challenge for us defensively. We had the right game plan today, but it's hard because West Liberty and Gannon are throwing out five guys who can shoot it, bounce it and pass."
 
"It's definitely tiring at times," said Jahme Ested. "We have good coaches to prepare for us, but it is tiring. Today wasn't our day. We had some things spiral out of control."
 
The Marauders held a 41-40 lead with 5.3 seconds remaining in the first half, but Christian Montague went coast-to-coast off an in-bounds pass and finished a right-hand layup at the buzzer to give the Hilltoppers a 42-41 edge. Millersville momentarily retook the lead at 45-44 on an Ested drive, but quickly, West Liberty gained separation, ripping off a 15-3 run over the next four minutes, hitting 6 of 8 shots and a pair of threes while Millersville went 1 for 5. Every Millersville shot was a three in that stretch.
 
Millersville stayed in striking distance, trailing by seven with 12:06 to play, but West Liberty out-scored the Marauders 37-22 in the final 11 minutes, making 12 of 19 shots and 11 of 12 free throws, building its lead to as many as 25.
 
West Liberty ranked third in the nation in scoring offense coming into the game, and the 100 points were the most scored against a Millersville team in regulation since 2018. Millersville allowed 90 or more points in each of its final three losses.
 
"You can look at the 24 wins, but you can look at what didn't work," said Stitzel. "That's how you get better. It isn't easy to look at it like that, but the best way to get better is to fail. We have to look in the mirror and say, '24-7 is a great year, but how do we win the region and the PSAC.' This is a loaded region—one of the best in the country. We have to keep getting better, keep learning what didn't work."
 
Millersville has now won at least 18 games in each of the last three seasons, winning the PSAC East twice and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament two times. The Marauders also won three games against nationally ranked teams and achieved its first national ranking since 2007 during the 2023-24 season. 
 
"We've proven that we are one of the top programs in the region, and now we just have to take that next step, getting back to the PSAC Championship game and winning games in the NCAA Tournament," said Stitzel. "That's what we'll focus on in the offseason."


 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ested led the Marauders with 17 points and handed out four assists while committing just one turnover despite serving as the primary ball-handler against the press. Matt Dade scored 15 points to extend his streak of consecutive games in double-figures to 35. J.D. Gross scored a career-high 15 points, and Day Waters scored 13 with a team-high six rebounds. 
• West Liberty placed five scorers in double figures, led by Ben Sarson's 16. 

GAME NOTES

• Jaden Faulkner finished his Millersville career ranked 15th in career scoring with 1,463 points, and third in assists and ninth in steals. His 4.9 assists average ranks second all-time. Dade scored 1,424 points in his career. His 575 points scored this season tied for 11th most in Millersville history. 
• Drew Stover finished his season shooting 71.5% from the field, breaking a school record that was set in 1985. He is one of just five players in PSAC history to shoot over 70% from the field for an entire season.