ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Columbia Union College competes as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). Last season, CU posted a 5-25 record, a four-game improvement from the 2006-07 season when the team won just one game and finished with a 1-28 record.

• CU did not win a game on the road last season, finishing the year 0-12. CU has not won a road game since defeating Southern Virginia University, 92-81, on January 31, 2007.

• CU has won no more than five games in a single season over the past five years and has lost to Millersville four times over that time period. Millersville has won 9-of-10 meetings dating back to 1993.

• The Lady Pioneers lost their top scorer to graduation in Jada Richardson. The 5-8 guard led the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game. Her 108 assists and 68 steals were also best on the team.

• The Pioneers return two full-time starters from last year's team, Kayla Harrison and Willona Johnson. Harrison, a 5-8 guard from Rockville, Maryland averaged over 30 minutes per game last season and averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. Johnson, a 6-1 center from Petersburg, VA also averaged 4.8 points per game and pulled down a team-high 197 rebounds last season.

• Lock Haven ended the 2007-08 campaign with a 7-19 overall record and sported a 2-10 record in PSAC West to finish sixth. This season, the Bald Eagles are picked to again finish sixth in the West. The Bald Eagles return four starters under second-year head coach Jennifer Smith. Guards Nikki Presto, Amanda Nero, Julie Molloy and Chere' Marshall head a list of strong perimeter players for the Bald Eagles while Haley Gaidosh is the top returner in the post having averaged 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds a year ago.

• The Lock Haven Bald Eagles are coached by Jennifer Smith, a 2000 graduate of Millersville University. Smith was a four-year varsity letter winner for the Marauders and holds the school record for most games played and most 3-pointers made in a game. Millersville advanced to three NCAA Division II National Tournaments while Smith was on the team and she helped lead the squad to PSAC East titles in 2000 and 2002.


THE LAST MEETING
• Millersville defeated CU in the team's visit to Pucillo on January 27, 2008 by a final of 83-51. Four Marauders scored in double-figures with guard Ashley Moyer leading the way with 12. Forwards Jenna Craig, Gladine St. Julien and Raquel Green each recorded double-doubles in the contest with 10 points and 10 boards apiece. Millersville also met CU earlier in the 2007-08 season at the West Chester Tournament when the Marauders earned a 70-40 victory. Ashley Romanoski led all scorers with 15 points as she connected on 9-of-10 free throws.

• The Marauders rebounded after picking up their second loss of the year (H, vs. Cal, 73-65), and defeated Lock Haven on the road, 70-56. Forward Gladine St. Julien scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds in the win.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• The Millersvile University women's basketball team saw its season come to an end after a 70-54 loss to California (Pa.) in the first round of the NCAA East Regional held on the campus of Indiana (Pa.) University.

• The Marauders led at halftime, 22-21. The Marauder defense, ranked first in the PSAC, held the Vulcans to just 18.5% shooting in the first half and forced the home team into eight turnovers.

• The seventh-seeded Marauders held a 47-43 lead with 7:39 to play but watched as the Vulcans went on a 15-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to grab a lead they would never relinquish.

MARAUDER MILESTONES
• Millersville's women's basketball program began in 1918 and since then, it has compiled 683 wins, leaving it just seventeen victories shy of 700 all-time wins. Under Fleig, the Marauders have compiled almost half of those victories with 323.

• The women's team will look to extend its 14-game PSAC Eastern Division winning streak when it travels to West Chester on January 14 for the East opener.

• Last season, coach Fleig won her 300th game at Millersville in the season opener, an 81-38 thrashing of Alderson-Broaddus in the MU Tipoff Classic.

EARLY EXPECTATIONS
• After posting a 24-6 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in the PSAC East a year ago, the Marauders were pegged to finish second by the coaches in the PSAC Preseason Poll.

• Picked to finish first in the Eastern Division in 2008 is the division's newest member, Shippensburg. Shippensburg made the switch to the East after the realignment of the PSAC to accomodate the additions of Gannon and Mercyhurst to the Western Division. Shippensburg qualified for the PSAC playoffs last season as the fourth seed out of the very competitive Western Division. All-American and Western Division Athlete of the Year Lauren Beckley heads a Lady Raider team that has reached the playoffs in 13 of the past 14 seasons.

• West Chester, who qualified for the PSAC playoffs last season as the second seed, finished the season at 9-3 in the division and is picked to finish one spot behind Millersville in third. Kutztown, who won just four games in the division last year, is picked fourth while East Stroudsburg is fifth.

• Forward Gladine St. Julien, an All-PSAC Eastern Divsion First Team selection last season, was named to the 2008 Preseason All-PSAC East Team.

POWER FORWARD
• Forward Gladine St. Julien stepped up in a huge way last season after the loss of Preseason All-PSAC selection Ashley Romanoski due to injury. St. Julien led the Marauders in scoring average (12.5) and was second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.

• St. Julien was honored as the PSAC Eastern Division Athlete of the Week three times last season.

• St. Julien poured in a career-high 22 points on December 18, in the first of three losses on the season to California (Pa.). She matcher her career high on February 23 in a four-point victory over East Stroudsburg.

• The 6-0 forward scored in double figures in 21 of the team's 30 games last season and managed four double-doubles. St. Julien led the Marauders in scoring 13 times and rebounding 11 times.


ADVANTAGE PUCILLO
• Since Millersville began playing its home games in Pucillo Gymnasium in 1982, the Lady Marauders are an impressive 249-76 at home in 26 seasons. The team has never won less than seven games at Pucillo in a single season and has never had a losing record. Millersville has recorded three or less losses at home in 18 of 26 seasons at Pucillo including a stretch of seven straight seasons from 1996 to 2002.

• Since the 2000-01 season, Millersville holds a .795 winning percentage at Pucillo.

NEW FACES
• Despite returning three full-time starters from last year's team and two more players with five or more starts, the Marauders welcome eight new faces to this year's squad.

• Fleig has recruited seven freshman and a tranfer to fill out the 2008 roster that also includes nine returning players. Chelsea Barsky, a transfer from St. Francis (Pa.), is in her junior season and despite playing mostly at the guard position while at the Division I Institution, the 5-11 transfer will be called upon to do most of her work in the post.

• The incoming class is well balanced with four guards and five forwards. With the addition of 2007-08 red-shirt Emily Balogh, the Marauders will have a very deep bench to spell the starters.

MARCH MADNESS
• Extending the season into March is becoming commonplace at Millersville, and in 2007-08, the Marauders earned their 12th straight appearance in the PSAC Tournament and seventh consecutive appearance in the conference semifinals.

• Despite falling in the PSAC Tournament semifinals to California (Pa.), the Marauders entered the NCAA Division II Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East Region. Despite leading with under eight minutes to play in the opening-round contest, the Marauders eventually fell for the third time on the season to California (Pa.) to end their season.

• The Marauders have appeared in the NCAA Tournament five times under the direction of Fleig and have posted a 2-5 record in those appearances. Millersville defeated Pitt-Johnstown, 75-71 to advance to the regional semifinal in 1999 and the 2002 team knocked off Belmont Abbey, 84-60 to advance for the only two victories.