Box Score

Erie, Pa. — Senior Jenna Philo and junior Aiesha Bellamy helped lead an early charge as the Millersville women's basketball team built a 17-2 lead and never looked back in defeating Mercyhurst 53-44 on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday's game started off with some wackiness as Mercyhurst (6-7) was given a technical foul for starting with a lineup on the court that differed from the one scheduled to start in the scorebook. Philo sank one of two free throws to give Millersville (11-2) a 1-0 lead before any time had expired. Philo wouldn't stop there, however, as she drained a three-pointer on the Marauders second possession of the game and scored six of her 11 points before the game was five minutes old. Bellamy also chipped in six of her 10 points on the afternoon, scoring on three of four Millersville possessions in the early run.

The Lakers finally recovered from the early Millersville onslaught in the latter stages of the first half. Mercyhurst, ranked third in the PSAC in three-point field goals per game, used a trio of them to help spur a 14-4 run that cut the Marauder lead to five at 21-16 with 5:02 remaining in the opening half.

The Marauders responded by taking their game inside. Senior Gladine St. Julien commanded the paint in the first half, racking up 10 of her game-high 20 points. St. Julien's inside presence helped Millersville steadily increase its lead back to 13 at the break, 31-18. The Marauders benefited from an array of hot hands as they shot a scorching 61.2% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

Mercyhurst struggled to get its offense clicking once again in the second half, thanks in large part to the Marauders tough defense. Millersville came in to Sunday's contest allowing just 49.5 points per game, second best in the PSAC, and only helped themselves by holding Mercyhurst below that number. The Lakers briefly cut the Marauders lead to single digits when Jackie Artise hit a three to make it 41-34 with 10:12 to play.

Millersville responded following a timeout, however, using jumpers from Philo and St. Julien and two free throws from Bellamy to extend the lead to 13 with just over six minutes remaining. The 6-0 run made it 47-34 and helped seal the win for the Marauders, as the Lakers could only cut the lead to nine on a three in the waning moments.

Stephanie Prischak and Amy Achesinski came in leading the Lakers in scoring, but the Marauders defense gave both players fits. Prischak led Mercyhurst with 10 points, but only shot 4-15 from the floor. Achesinski, meanwhile, was held to just eight points, her lowest total since scoring just three points against Division-I opponent West Virginia back on December 3.

The trio of St. Julien, Philo, and Bellamy combined to score 41 of Millersville's 53 points on Sunday afternoon. Jenna Craig was again strong on the boards, pulling down a game-high eight rebounds.

The Marauders will look to carry the momentum of their 11-2 non-conference record and this weekend's PSAC crossover sweep into Wednesday night's PSAC Eastern Division opener at West Chester. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the action can be heard live on MSBN.