MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - After six trying years and two ACL surgeries, Jaden Faulkner was likely playing his final game in Pucillo Gymnasium, and with the PSAC Quarterfinal against rival East Stroudsburg tied at 66 and a minute to play, there was no other player Millersville would rather take the shot. Faulkner broke the tie with a deep three, and Millersville dug in on defense, holding the high-scoring Warriors scoreless for the final 2:56 to advance to the PSAC Semifinals, 74-66. 

Faulkner totaled 20 points and seven rebounds leading four Marauders in double figures. It was his free throw that tied the game at 66 with 2:03 remaining, and the 3-pointer with 1:05 on the clock that put the Marauders up for good marked another memorable moment in a storied Marauder career that includes over 1,400 points and more than 400 assists. 

"That's what makes Jaden so special," said Millersville head coach Casey Stitzel. 

From there, Millersville iced the postseason win by making four consecutive stops, grabbing defensive rebounds and sinking five of six free throws. 

"We made stops, we got rebounds and made our foul shots," said Stitzel. "We finally held a team to 39% shooting, and that's the game. When we lock in and guard we can beat anyone."

The defense made all the difference. East Stroudsburg had scored at least 103 in each of its previous three games with a season average of 91.6 points per game, but Millersville limited the Warriors to under 40% shooting for just the fifth time and to its second-lowest point total of the season. ESU scored 98 and 88 in the first two meetings of the season, and it was only the third time that Millersville has held a team under 40% shooting. After Lakeem McAliley's bucket put the Warriors up 66-65 with 2:56 to play, Millersville forced four consecutive misses and two turnovers as part of a 9-0 run. 

Neither team led by more than the eight-point differential at the buzzer, and it was a game of responses. Millersville led by five at the half, but ESU went on an 11-2 run over the first 3:13 of the second half. After Stitzel called a timeout, Millersville responded with a 9-0 run. ESU went on its own 9-2 run to take a six-point lead with 8:50 to play, but the Marauders retook the lead three minutes later. The lead changed four more times, and the game ended with 14 ties and 12 lead changes. 

"We preach 'adversity makes the team' every day," said Faulkner. "It's all about how you respond to adversity, and we responded well to it today."

"That's a culture game," said Stitzel. "They stayed together. They responded to adversity and when you respond to adversity you can always get back in the game."

Open shots were rare, and the defensive nature of the game came from two teams playing for a third time in 2024. 

"When you play teams three times, everyone knows the calls and the plays," said Faulkner. "It was an intense game and every possession mattered...They know what you are going to do, and we know what they are going to do. It really comes down to who makes the most shots."

The Warriors' full-court press and pressure on the ball made it challenging for Millersville to run its offense through Matt Dade and Drew Stover in the post. Their touches on the block were limited, but Dade managed 18 points and nine rebounds. Stover finished with 15 points and blocked three shots. Jahme Ested played a crucial role as well, shouldering the load of the ball-handling and providing scoring (13 points), rebounding (eight boards) and defense (two steals). 

"Jahme has sneakily been one of the most important players on our team," said Stitzel. "When you look at our team, you think of Jaden and Matt, and the guys who averaged double-figures, but people sleep on Jahme and without him we aren't here."

While Waters, the PSAC's 3-point shooting leader, made just 2 of 7 shots, Stitzel quickly pointed out the impact he made on defense. 

"I want to give Day a shout-out," said Stitzel. "I've been on him about making winning plays, and he made five or six defensively down the stretch that really helped us."

Millersville's win puts it in the PSAC Tournament Semifinals for the second time in the last three seasons. The Marauders travel to play PSAC West champion Gannon, who held on to edge IUP Wednesday night. Millersville gave the Golden Knights their first loss--and still one of only two on the season--on Dec. 30. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Millersville held a 35-34 edge on the boards, improving to 16-0 when out-rebounding its opponent. East Stroudsburg benefited from 22 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds. 
• McAliley led ESU with 22 points, giving him three 20-point games against the Marauders this season. 
• Millersville shot 56% from the field in the second half and 51.9% for the game. The Marauders also hit 17 of 22 free throws. 

GAME NOTES

• Millersville, now 24-5, was ranked fifth in the NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings that were released on Wednesday afternoon. A second win over the sixth-ranked Warriors only bolsters the Marauders' tournament resume. Millersville can gain an automatic bid by winning the PSAC Tournament. 
• Wednesday's game was just the fifth postseason meeting between Millersville and East Stroudsburg. The Warriors had won three of the previous four with Millersville's lone winning coming in the 2007 quarterfinal.