Millersville edges East Stroudsburg to advance to PSAC semis, NCAA tournament in sight

Not a lot separates the basketball teams of Millersville and East Stroudsburg.

The inch or so by which the Marauders’ Jaden Faulkner avoided a backcourt violation at a decisive moment Wednesday about covers it.

Faulkner tracked down a ball on that play, barely stayed on the right side of the midcourt line, and a moment later nailed a gigantic three-pointer, with exactly a minute left.

It was a back-breaker for the Warriors, and Millersville dominated the final possessions to win, 74-66, in a quarterfinal of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs at Pucillo Gym.

The Marauders are 24-5, and have probably locked up a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament.

“If not, there ought to be an investigation,’’ said Millersville coach Casey Stitzel.

They try to go further Saturday in a PSAC semifinal Saturday at top-seeded Gannon, which beat IUP 94-89 in their quarterfinal Wednesday.

The championship game will be played Sunday, also at Gannon, which is in Erie.

Wednesday’s game was a fierce fight, between recent-era rivals who split two meetings this regular season.

“It’s a big rivalry game now,’’ said Faulkner, who scored 20 with seven rebounds in the final game at Pucillo of a long, significant college career.

“We’re know what they’re going to run and they know what we’re going to run. It’s high intensity.’’

The Warriors (25-5) may have more offensive weapons, or at least more shooters, but MU ultimately won it on the defensive end, by acing the ending and holding ESSU to 39 percent shooting (25 of 64).

Millersville led 65-61 with four minutes left, but East Stroudsburg got a three from Nasir Griffin (19 points), a 6-8 sophomore with perimeter skills who’s going to be a handful the next couple years.

Then the Warriors, who press after scoring for 40 minutes, forced a turnover, and Lakeem McAliley, another 6-8 handful (20 points) scored on the block.

East Stroudsburg led 66-65 with 2:20 left. The Warriors didn’t score again.

“At the first media time out, I told the guys, ‘We’ve played 28 games. If we’re going to lose, it’s not going to be because the play harder than us,’ ’’ Stitzel said. “I thought that was the difference.’’

With two minutes left, McAliley draw his fourth foul, and the team’s 10th, trying to take a charge on Faulkner. He made one of two.

East Stroudsburg missed a well-guarded three at the other end. The game was now in its final minute, and the Warriors guarded the next possession well, leading to a bad pass that Faulkner had to run down very near midcourt as the shot clock ticked away.

“It was very close,’’ Faulkner admitted. “I do that a lot. That’s the crazy part - it seems like I can keep my foot back just enough.’’

Seconds later he launched an NBA-length three that made it 69-66 and, for the first time, made the Warriors’ heads hang.

The Marauders made five of their last six free throws.

They shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and got good stuff from multiple sources: Matt Dade scored 18 with nine rebounds, Drew Stover 15 on six-of-eight shooting and two huge free throws in the final half-minute, and 13 points and eight boards from Jahme Ested, who also put in 36:21 of grinding with the ball through the Warriors’ press.

Gannon (27-2) is a press-and-run outfit that has been nationally ranked all season and leads the country in scoring at 103.6 per game.

Millersville rocked Gannon 99-78 Dec. 30 at Pucillo.

“It’s not going to be easy, obviously, dealing with their press, another pressing team,’’ Stitzel said. “But, we do have experience with it.’’