Complete Game Notes
GAME QUICK FACTS
Millersville (16-5, 5-3 PSAC East) at Shippensburg (11-10, 5-3 PSAC East)
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 - 6 p.m.
Heiges Fieldhouse, Shippensburg, Pa.
Kutztown (16-5, 6-2 PSAC East) at Millersville
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 - 1 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.
COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stats (Shippensburg game ONLY): Click Here
Live Stats (Kutztown game ONLY): Click Here
ABOUT THE GAMES
• The Marauders open the week looking to rebound from a 75-71 double overtime setback against West Chester on Saturday.
• Millersville's PSAC playoff hopes are likely to get a big boost or take a big hit depending on the outcome of this week's games.
• Wednesday's opponent, Shippensburg, was picked as the East Division favorite in the coaches' pre-season poll. The Lady Raiders sit at 5-3 in the conference, tied with the Marauders for fourth in the division.
• Saturday's foe, Kutztown, is tied for second in the East, with a conference record of 6-2. The Golden Bears handed Millersville a 60-56 defeat earlier in the season.
• Millersville's 72-53 win over Shippensburg back on Jan. 21 was its first versus the Lady Raiders since the 2004-05 season. The Marauders are 28-35 all-time against Shippensburg.
• Kutztown picked up its first win in its last 16 tries against Millersville back on Jan. 17. MU leads the all-time series 44-19 and has compiled a 28-12 record against the Golden Bears under current head coach Mary Fleig.
• On Saturday at Pucillo Gymnasium, the men's and women's basketball teams are hosting a WBCA Pink Zone™ event. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as the games will be a part of a nation-wide WBCA Pink Zone™ effort led by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
• Fans can receive Pink Zone t-shirts for a donation of $5 toward the WBCA/Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Also, all women in attendance will receive a pink carnation.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Shippensburg has lost two of its last three games, but is coming off of a 59-50 win over Mansfield on Saturday afternoon.
• The Lady Raiders are not staying close in PSAC East defeats. They've lost their three conference games by an average of 20.7 points per game.
• Shippensburg started the season 6-1, but suffered losses in its final six non-conference games. SU entered conference play 6-7 and now sits at 11-10 overall.
• The Lady Raiders are led by Lauren Beckley, last year's PSAC West Athlete of the Year. Beckley is averaging 20.6 points per game, good for second best in the PSAC. The junior also ranks second in the league in rebounding at 10.4 per game. She trails only California (Pa.)'s Brooque Williams in each category.
• Sophomore forward Kasey Gardner gives the Lady Raiders a dual scoring threat. Gardner is dropping over 14 points per game and scored a game-high 28 points in a win over Kutztown back on Jan. 24.
• Despite the scoring prowess of Beckley and Gardner, Shippensburg ranks 12th in the PSAC in scoring as a team at 64.0 points per game.
• The Lady Raiders rank last in the PSAC in steals, collecting just 4.6 per game. Shippensburg is the only team in the PSAC that has not eclipsed the 100 steal mark this season (96).
• SU is proficient from the foul line and beyond the arc. The team ranks third in the PSAC from the line, connecting on over 74-percent of their attempts. The Lady Raiders .399 average from deep ranks second best in the conference.
• Kutztown has the fifth highest scoring offense in the PSAC at 70.0 points per game. The Golden Bears have hit the 70-point plateau seven times this season and have gone for 80+ on three separate occasions.
• The Golden Bears have played well on the road this season, compiling an 8-3 record away from Keystone Hall. Both of Kutztown's PSAC East losses, however, have come on the road. KU dropped games at Shippensburg and Cheyney.
• Kutztown beat Millersville for the first time since the 2001-02 season on Jan. 17. That season, the Golden Bears took down the Marauders 69-41. The Marauders had won the last 15 meetings leading up to the 60-56 setback nearly a month ago.
• Sophomore Melissa McQuade leads a balanced Kutztown scoring attack. McQuade is averaging 15.4 points per game on a team that boasts four ladies averaging double-figures in scoring.
• Rachel Wisemiller (15.2 ppg), Lara Dellegrotti (11.4), and Chauntelle Schroeder (10.9) round out the Golden Bears' quartet of double-figure scorers.
• McQuade's 15.4 points per game rank her 11th in the PSAC, while her 10.0 rebounds per game are fourth best in the conference.
• Kutztown leads the PSAC in free throw shooting, converting over 78-percent of its attempts at the charity stripe. The Golden Bears are getting to the line an average of 18 times per game.
• KU is also an unselfish squad, dishing out 17.8 assists per game, good for third best in the conference.
THE LAST TIME OUT
• Millersville hosted West Chester on Saturday afternoon looking to move up the PSAC East ladder, but West Chester managed to scratch out a 75-71 win in a double overtime thriller.
• Millersville (16-5, 5-3 PSAC East) and West Chester (15-6, 7-1 PSAC East) met in the PSAC East opener, and that game also went into overtime.
• It was the second-straight overtime game for the Marauders, as they defeated East Stroudsburg, 51-47, just three days before.
• Millersville received 16 points and 16 rebounds from junior Jenna Craig, but the team shot just 35.2 percent from the field and committed 28 turnovers that turned into 31 West Chester points.
• While the game finished close, it looked as if Millersville was going to run away early. Millersville jumped out to a 16-4 lead in the first six minutes, led by six points from Craig. But with 5:29 left in the first period, West Chester completely erased the deficit, tying the game at 21 with a jumper from Dana Weems.
• Millersville's offensive struggles proved to be the deciding factor as the team did not manage a single point in double overtime. West Chester shot just 1-of-7 with three turnovers in the second overtime, but Weems' layup at 2:34 proved to be enough. She and Megan Stewart each hit one free throw in the final 19 seconds. Millersville committed a turnover on five of its final six possessions.
• Jenna Philo finished with 15 points and four assists in 47 minutes for the Marauders. Ashley Moyer also added 15 points and three steals. Along with Craig's double-double, she added four assists, two blocks and a steal. Eight of her rebounds were on the offensive glass as well.
• Dominique Stroman grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and also tallied three steals.
• West Chester was led by double-double efforts from Weems (16 points, 13 rebounds) and Janelle Garber (14 points, 10 rebounds).
THE 700 CLUB
• Millersville's women's basketball program began in 1918 and since then, it has compiled 699 wins, leaving it just one victory shy of 700 all-time wins. Under head coach Mary Fleig, the Marauders have compiled almost half of those victories with 339.
• Mary Fleig coached her 700th career NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, February 4, at East Stroudsburg. The Marauders picked up a 51-47 overtime win in game number 700 for the veteran coach. Fleig is in her 26th season on the sidelines. In 19 seasons at Millersville, Fleig has recorded 339 victories. Her career coaching record is an impressive 461-240 and ranks her among the top 10 winningest coaches in NCAA Division II history.
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.
CHARITY TROUBLES
• 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 .610 (300-for-492). In 2007-08, Millersville finished seventh in the conference, shooting close to 70-percent.
WORKING OVERTIME
• Millersville went to overtime in back-to-back games versus East Stroudsburg on Feb. 4, and West Chester on Feb. 7. It marked the first time the Marauders have played in consecutive overtime games since taking Cheyney and Kutztown to the extra session during the 1989-90 season.
• The Marauders made a bit of school history when their game with West Chester went to overtime on February 7. Millersville had never gone to overtime twice in one season with one opponent. The Marauders and Golden Rams went to overtime in the PSAC East opener back on Jan. 14. West Chester emerged victorious in both overtime contests in 2009.
HIT THE BOARDS
• Forward Jenna Craig has been a rebounding force for the Maruaders this season. The Lewisburg, Pa. native has collected 10+ rebounds in five of her last six games. Craig grabbed a career-high 16 boards in the Marauders double overtime loss to West Chester on Feb. 7. The junior is averaging 10.2 rebounds per game this season and has 12 double-figure rebound games.
RETURN TO SENDER
• The Marauders blocked a season-high eight shots against Cheyney on Jan. 28. The last time Millersville blocked eight shots or more was Feb. 22, 2006, when the Black and Gold swatted 10 Kutztown attemps away.
• Senior Gladine St. Julien recorded five blocks against Mansfield on Jan. 31. St. Julien became the second MU player to record five blocks in a game this season. Gretchen Fricko ('96) holds the record for blocks in a game with 10 (12/7/95 vs. SUNY-Stony Brook).
HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?
• Millersville allowed just 26 points in its win over Mansfield on Jan. 31, marking the fewest points the school has given up in a game since 1979-80. That season, Lynda Humphreville's sqaud held Lebanon Valley to just 17 points in a 75-17 win.
• The fewest points allowed in the Mary Fleig era, prior to Jan. 31, was 28 against Cheyney back in 1992-93 (94-28).
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.
• 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 250-76 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.
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.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
• Millersville has compiled a 109-66 record in the month of January since 1990-91. The Marauders own a winning percentage of .623 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 19 season time span. This January the Marauders finished 7-3.
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.
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.
