ABOUT THE GAME

• Millersville makes its sixth consecutive PSAC Tournament appearance Wednesday. Millersville, Lock Haven and East Stroudsburg shared the PSAC East title, which was the 12th all-time for Millersville. The Marauders received a first-round bye while East Stroudsburg advanced past Mansfield with a postseason record 114 points on Monday. Millersville has won five PSAC Tournaments but its last came in 2007. Millersville is 3-5 in the tournament under Casey Stitzel and 2-2 at home. The Marauders have advanced past the quarterfinals just once since 2008, and that was in 2022 when they finished as the PSAC runner-up. Millersville is 15-1 at home, and ESU is 12-2 on the road. Millersville has scored 70 points or fewer in eight of the last nine PSAC Tournament games. ESU reached the semifinals last year before losing 67-64 to eventual champ IUP. ESU has advanced to the semifinals in four of the last five seasons, and its last PSAC title came in 2018. 
• This game showcases two of the top scoring forwards in the PSAC in Millersville’s Matt Dade, who averages 18.6 points per game, and East Stroudsburg’s Lakeem McAliley, who averages 17.1. Both players rank in the top six in the league in field goal percentage as well. Guard play for both teams has been outstanding with Millersville’s Jaden Faulkner (3rd) and Jahme Ested (11th) among the league leaders in assists, and ESU’s Justin Paz is fourth in assists and first in assist/turnover ratio (3.7). 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville’s offense has been historically good this season, averaging its most points per game and shooting its highest percentage since 1993 and posting its best 3-point shooting percentage since 2003. Millersville is 17-1 when scoring at least 80 points and 16-0 when hitting that mark in regulation. Millersville is also 19-0 when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent. Drew Stover, well on his way to breaking a school record set in 1985, leads the PSAC and ranks second nationally in field goal percentage. Matt Dade can be just the fourth player in program history (and first since 1993) to average over 18 points per game while shooting at least 54% from the field. Jaden Faulkner is on track to be the first Marauder ever to average 16.0 points and 5.0 assists in a season. Day Waters currently has the program’s best 3-point shooting percentage since 2005. While the offense has been outstanding, defense is imperative. The Marauders are now 3-3 and 1-2 vs. PSAC teams when allowing 50% shooting and 4-5 when shooting a lower percentage. Millersville is just 7-4 when allowing more than 80 points.
   

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

•  Since losing to Millersville on Feb. 24, the Warriors have won three in a row, scoring at least 103 in all three games. ESU ranks second in the PSAC in scoring offense (91.6), and while it ranks ninth in scoring defense, it is the best 3-point field goal defense, holding teams to 29.8% shooting. Millersville is second in the PSAC in 3-point shooting, making 37.5%. ESU forces 19.9 turnovers per game while Millersville is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.14). 

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday is the 172nd all-time meeting between Millersville and East Stroudsburg. East Stroudsburg has won 24 of the last 31 meetings dating back to 2009, but the teams have evenly split the last eight games 4-4, and the teams split the regular season series with both teams winning at home. Millersville has won three of the last four at Pucillo Gymnasium and are 28-12 at home since 1984. East Stroudsburg scored 98 points while Millersville shot 44.2% from the field and committed 22 turnovers in the first meeting this season, but the Marauders won 93-88 by shooting 63% from the fieldand 50% from the field on Feb. 24. Matt Dade scored a career-high 37 points in that game. Lakeem McAliley has been a tough match-up for the Marauders. He scored 25 in both matchups this season and averaged 13.5 points in the two games in 2022-23. Since 2019-20, Millersville is 4-1 against ESU when scoring at least 76 points.