Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
Shippensburg (8-7, 2-0 PSAC East) at Millersville (11-4, 0-2 PSAC East)
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009 - 6 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.

Millersville at Bloomsburg (8-7, 0-2 PSAC East)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 - 1 p.m.
Nelson Field House, Bloomsburg, Pa.

COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stat (vs. Shippensburg Only)


ABOUT THE GAMES
•    The Marauders are looking to rebound from their first 0-2 start in PSAC East play since 2005-06.
•    Millersville ends a streak of four consecutive road games on Wendesday night when it hosts Shippensburg at Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders were 2-2 in their hiatus from home.
•    It's been a tale of two stories with this week's opponents. Millersville has not dropped a game against Bloomsburg since 2006 and is 14-2 against the Huskies dating back to 2001-02. Meanwhile, the Marauders have not beaten Shippensburg since the 2004-05 season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
•    Shippensburg is in its first season as a member of the PSAC Eastern Division and the Red Raiders got their first conference victory in their first conference game, an 80-69 triumph over Mansfield last Wednesday.
•    The Red Raiders were picked to win the PSAC Eastern Division in the preseason coaches poll. Shippensburg finished 2007-08 with a 19-9 record and a 7-5 record in the highly competitive PSAC Western Division.
•    Shippensburg is scoring 66.2 points per game and giving up an almost identical 66.1 points per game. Despite the similar numbers, the Red Raiders have not played many close games. Of the squad's eight wins, six have come by double-figures, while five of their seven losses have also come by double-figures.
•    The Red Raiders have been productive from the line and from beyond the arc, ranking third in the PSAC in free throw percentage (.742) and second in three-point field goal percentage (.381).
•    Shippensburg is ranked last in the PSAC with 4.5 steals per game, over two less per game than Bloomsburg, which is 15th with 6.9 per game. Millersville is ranked second in the PSAC with 13.6 steals per game.
•    The Red Raiders are led by reigning PSAC East Player of the Week, Lauren Beckley. The junior forward is averaging a PSAC-best 20.9 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game (fourth best in the PSAC). Beckley was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year in 2007-08 and the PSAC West Rookie of the Year in 2006-07. Last week she averaged 32.5 points per game, dropping 31 on Mansfield and 34 on East Stroudsburg.
•    Kasey Gardner is also a threat for Shippensburg. Gardner averages 14.9 points per game and leads the team in steals. Gardner and Beckley combine to account for over 50% of Shippensburg's scoring.
•    Bloomsburg, like Millersville, is looking to recover from an 0-2 start in the PSAC East. In a twist of irony, the Huskies dropped a 71-70 overtime decision to Cheyney on Wednesday, before falling in overtime by the exact same score on Saturday at West Chester.
•    The Huskies are also very proficient from deep, ranking third in the PSAC, right behind Shippensburg, with a three-point field goal percentage of .376. Bloomsburg is also averaging 5.7 three-point field goals per game.
•    Bloomsburg is 1-2 in games decided by five points or less this season. The Huskies only win in a close contest came back on Dec. 5, when they beat Lock Haven 67-63. The team is also 0-3 in overtime games in 2008-09.
•    Senior center Colleen Kegerreis leads the Huskies in scoring at 18.0 points per game. Kegerreis also ranks seventh in the PSAC in scoring.
•    Rookie guard Kelsey Gallagher also enters this week boasting some recent PSAC recognition. Gallagher, who averages 15.3 points per game, was named PSAC East Freshman of the Week on Jan. 19. Gallagher scored a career-high 26 points in the overtime loss at West Chester on Saturday.

THE LAST TIME OUT
•    The Marauders scored just two points in the final four minutes of Saturday's contest at Kutztown, and the homestanding Golden Bears were able to capitalize and send Millersville to its second-straight PSAC Eastern Division loss, 60-56.
•    Millersville (11-4, 0-2) trailed by just one point at 55-54 with just 4:17 left on the clock. And while its defense limited Kutztown (12-3, 2-0) to just five points the rest of the way, its offense missed seven shots and committed three turnovers in its final 10 offensive possessions.
•    Saturday's game embodied the true definition of a seesaw battle, as the lead was traded 11 times throughout the game.
•    Despite shooting just 32.9 percent from the field, including 21.6 percent in the second half, four Marauders managed double figures. Gladine St. Julien led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds--four of which were offensive. Jenna Craig chipped in 10 points, nine boards. Jenna Philo added 12 and Ashley Moyer scored 10.
•    Millersville's defense was outstanding again, though, holding Kutztown to 37.7 percent shooting and only three made 3-pointers. The Marauders also forced 18 turnovers.

STARTING STRONG
•    Millersville's 11-2 non-conference record marked its best start to a season since 2000-01, when the Marauders started 13-2. The 2000-01 squad finished with a 21-6 record, but fell in the PSAC Quarterfinals to West Chester.

NOT SO CHARITABLE
•    Millersville is looking to change its fortunes at the charity stripe this season. The Marauders rank last in the PSAC in free throw percentage at .583 (197-for-338). In 2007-08, Millersville finished seventh in the conference, shooting close to 70-percent.

MARAUDER MILESTONES
•    Millersville's women's basketball program began in 1918 and since then, it has compiled 694 wins, leaving it just six victories shy of 700 all-time wins. Under head coach Mary Fleig, the Marauders have compiled almost half of those victories with 334.
•    Last season, coach Fleig won her 300th game at Millersville in the season opener, an 81-38 drubbing of Alderson-Broaddus in the Millersville Tipoff Classic.

AROUND AT THE FINISH
•    Millersville has not had a player foul out in 14 of 15 games in 2008-09. Junior Aiesha Bellamy fouled out in a 60-56 loss to Kutztown on Jan. 17, marking the first time a Millersville player had done so in 15 games. Bellamy was also the last Marauder player to foul out of a game, prior to Saturday's game, when she did so in the final game of the 2007-08 season, a 70-54 loss to California (Pa.) on March 14, 2008.
   
HAPPY NEW YEAR
•    Millersville has compiled a 105-66 record in the month of January since 1990-91. The Marauders own a winning percentage of .614 in the month. The only month the Marauders have performed better in is November (45-22, .672). MU has only had three losing records in the month of January in the 18 season time span. This January the Marauders are 3-3.

LOFTY 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 in the PSAC East this season in the preseason coaches poll. 
•    Shippensburg, a newcomer to the PSAC Eastern Division, was picked to finish at the of the division in 2008. 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 competitive Western Division. All-American and PSAC West 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 PreseasonAll-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.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
•    Since Millersville began playing its home games in Pucillo Gymnasium in 1982, the 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 losses or fewer 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 other players who saw significant action, the Marauders welcome eight new faces to this year's squad.
•    Coach 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.
   
WHO NEEDS SPRING BREAK?
•    Extending the season into March is becoming commonplace at Millersville. 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.

RECORD BREAKERS
•    In the season-opening 101-30 victory over Columbia Union, the Marauders eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.  In that season the Marauders ironically knocked off the same team (Columbia Union) by a score of 102-52.
•    The 101-point effort was helped in large part to the 60 first-half points scored by the Marauders which broke the school record of 54 set by the 1992-93 team in a lopsided win over Holy Family.
•    The 71-point margin of victory also broke the school record set  by the 1992-93 team that defeated Cheyney by a final score of 94-28. 

DEFENSIVE REIGN
•    Millersville allowed only 42 points against Indiana (Pa.) on Jan. 3, 2009, marking the lowest point total by IUP since 2004.
•     California (Pa.) finally put a chink in Millersville's defensive armor, when the Vulcans scored 76 points against the Marauders on Jan. 4. It was the highest point total surrendered by a Millersville team since Feb. 17, 2007, a span of 42
games.
•     After holding Slippery Rock to 48 points and Mercyhurst to just 44 this past weekend, Millersville has now held its opponents to less than 50 points in 9-of-15 games this season.

TWICE AS NICE
•     Millersville has put an even greater scoring lockdown on two opponents this season, holding each to just 30 points, a feat never before accomplished by a Marauder team under coach Fleig. 
•     The Marauders opened the season in convincing fashion by downing Columbia Union 101-30. On Nov. 19, just four days later, Millersville pulled the feat off once again, this time in a 69-30 victory over Goldey-Beacom. In the win, the Marauders held the Lightning to just two second-half field goals.