Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
Millersville (12-3, 2-0 PSAC East) vs. Shippensburg (8-10, 1-1 PSAC East)
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 - 6 p.m.
Heiges Fieldhouse, Shippensburg, Pa.

Millersville vs. Bloomsburg (10-4, 2-0 PSAC East)
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 - 1 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.

COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stats: Millersville at Shippensburg
Live Stats: Bloomsburg at Millersville


THE WEEK AHEAD
•    Faced with two stiff tests to open PSAC Eastern Division play, the Millersville University women's basketball team aced both, knocking off West Chester, the pre-season division favorite, and Kutztown in back-to-back games. This week's games present a whole new set of challenges for the Marauders. They must first travel to Shippensburg for their first conference road game, before returning home Saturday to take on a young and surprising Bloomsburg squad.
•    The wins over West Chester and Kutztown were statement games for an MU squad that seems to have found its offensive stride. WCU jumped out to a 10-point first half lead, but the Marauders rallied to post a 68-57 victory last Wednesday evening. On Saturday against KU, the Black and Gold raced out to an 18-point lead, withstood a Kutztown rally, and re-opened the gap in the second half, pulling away for a 61-42 win.
•    Blowouts were the name of the game when Millersville matched up with these two squads a season ago. MU went 4-0 in two meetings against each school and did so in rather easy fashion. Against Shippensburg, Millersville came away with victories of 25 and 19 points. Bloomsburg struggled to figure out the Marauders as well, dropping both games by an 18-point margin.
•    Millersville has a relatively long-standing rivalry with both Shippensburg and Bloomsburg. The Marauders and Lady Raiders will be meeting for the 65th time, with SU holding a 35-29 lead in the series. Bloom takes on MU for the 68th time since 1971-72, but the Marauders hold a 35-32 edge in that series.

SCOUTING SHIPPENSBURG
•    It's been an up-and-down season for the Lady Raiders to date. They've won three of their last five games coming into play on Wednesday night, but also absorbed a six-game losing streak earlier in the season. Shippensburg seems to be looking to find its identity, but with some of the head-scratching results the team has had, it's been tough to do so. The Lady Raiders beat IUP, 68-54, at home, a team that Millersville lost to on the road. They couldn't back that win up against California (Pa.) though, losing by 20 to the nationally ranked Vulcans. MU was victorious by a point when it took on then-No. 10 Cal in a road contest on Jan. 3.
•    If the Lady Raiders want to stop the Marauders, they will need to do a better job on the defensive end. SU is giving up a league-worst 67.2 points per game. The squad has allowed opponents to score 70 points or more five times, 80 points or more once, 90 points or more once, and even gave up 101 in a 101-58 loss to California (Pa.) on Dec. 11. In comparison, Millersville 's PSAC-leading defense has not given up 70 points in a game this season and has only allowed a team to score 60 or more three times through 15 games.
•    Senior forward Lauren Beckley leads both the team and the PSAC in scoring at over 21 points per game. She accounts for nearly a third of Shippensburg's scoring and has been an offensive threat throughout her career at SU. Beckley was the PSAC West Rookie of the Year as a freshman, PSAC West Player of the Year as a sophomore, and PSAC East Player of the Year as a junior. With Ship switching from the West to the East between the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, Beckley became the first known player to win Player of the Year in both divisions.
•    Secondary scoring comes in the form of junior forward Kasey Gardner, who is averaging 17.4 points per game, which ranks fifth in the PSAC. Gardner just went over 1,000 points for her Ship career in the Lady Raiders' 58-55 loss against East Stroudsburg on Saturday.
•    Beckley and Gardner are also the team's leading rebounders. Beckley is pulling down 9.2 per game, while Gardner is bringing in 7.2 a night. Gardner has team-highs of 48 assists and 40 steals and Beckley has a team-best 19 blocks.
•    After the dynamic duo of Beckley and Gardner, there is a steep drop-off in production at the offensive end, a main reason that Ship is just 8-10 on the season. Kerry Conroy and Morgan Taylor are the only other Lady Raiders averaging more than five points per night. If Millersville's defense creates problems for Beckley, Gardner, or both, Shippensburg will have to rely on scoring from areas where it has not come this season.

SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
•    Easily the youngest team in the PSAC East, Bloomsburg has played exceptionally well for second-year head coach Bill Cleary. Despite their youth, the Huskies enter the week as the only other 2-0 team in the Eastern Division, and 10-4 overall. Last season BU won just 11 games, but this year's team should easily eclipse that mark.
•    So just how much youth do the 2009-10 Huskies have? Of their 13 roster players, 10 are freshmen. Sophomore Kelsey Gallagher, senior Giselle Lara, and graduate student Jen Dervarics are the only non-first year players on the squad.
•    Even though Bloomsburg is off to a solid start, its schedule has aided them a bit. When playing common opponents of Millersville, the Huskies are 3-1. They've beaten Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, and Lock Haven, but they also fell by 13 to Goldey-Beacom, a team that the Marauders beat. BU's signature win was a 77-72 PSAC crossover upset of Edinboro (11-4).
•    The Huskies are 5-3 on the road, but have been stellar at home, where they have not lost this season in five games.
•    5-foot-6 freshman guard, Dana Wieller, from Bethlehem, Pa., has had an enormous impact on the Huskies from day one. The rookie leads the team in scoring and currently sits fourth in the conference at 18.0 points per game.
•    Gallagher is the PSAC's 12th leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. She burst onto the scene as a freshman last season picking up weekly accolades and leading her team with 15.4 points per contest.
•    Bloomsburg did lose the services of one of its leaders in Colleen Kegerreis, to graduation, but
•    As a team, the Huskies have nicely increased their scoring from a year ago. BU was 12th in the conference in scoring offense in 2008-09 averaging just over 63 points per game. This year they sit fourth in the conference at over 72 per game, a nine-point per game increase.
•    One area Millersville will look to take advantage of is rebounding. The Marauders are sixth in the conference in rebounding margin, out-boarding opponents by just under four per game. Bloomsburg, meanwhile, is 15th in the PSAC in that category, getting outrebounded by over four boards per game.
•    Another concern for the Huskies will be turnovers. They have turned the ball over nearly 20 times per game in 14 contests, while Millersville is forcing almost 30 turnovers per game.

LOOKING BACK
•    Same story, different game. The Millersville women's basketball team used its high-pressure defense to stabilize a potent Kutztown offense, downing the Golden Bears 61-42 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division showdown at Pucillo Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
•    The Marauders (12-3, 2-0 PSAC East) came in on a roll, winners of their last four, and quickly set the tempo in the pivotal divisional match-up. Each team registered a bucket in the opening four minutes, but Millersville then ran off 20 of the next 26 points, laying claim to a 22-8 lead 10:33 into the contest. Jenna Craig put forth one of her best offensive halves of basketball this season, scoring eight of her 10 points in the opening spurt.
•    Kutztown's top two scorers from last season, Melissa McQuade and Rachel Wisemiller, came into Saturday's game combining to put up nearly 26 points per game. Both found a Millersville defender in their path each time they looked to create an opportunity. They combined for just eight first half points and things only got worse in the second half. The Golden Bears opened the second half on a six minute scoring drought and only managed to score four points in 12:26.
•    Quietly doing her job at both ends of the floor, Mashira Newman created havoc for KU all afternoon. She continued her recent string of double-figure games by posting a game-high 17 points. Newman also came up with four steals and three boards as Millersville built a 23-point lead (55-32), it's largest of the day, with 5:06 to go.
•    Craig finished one rebound shy of a double-double (10 points, 9 rebounds) and Raquel Green chipped in seven points to go along with two blocks and five rebounds.  Stroman, who had a fantastic first half, totaled eight points, eight rebounds, and seven steals in the win, while Emily Balogh also came off the bench to score 10 points. Millersville shot just 36-percent from the floor, but overcame that with 20 offensive rebounds and 16 second chance points.
•    No Kutztown player scored in double-figures, as the tandem of McQuade and Wisemiller was held to 15 points. Chauntelle Schroeder, KU's main post presence, scored four points on 1-of-7 shooting, as the Golden Bears were outscored 38-8 in the paint en route to their worst offensive outing of the season. Millersville, which has now won 19 of its last 21 meetings against Kutztown, forced 36 turnovers and held a commanding 39-9 advantage in points off of turnovers. The only bright spot for the Golden Bears was their performance at the charity stripe, where they were a perfect 11-of-11.

LIFE OUTSIDE THE PSAC EAST
•    Non-conference games have been good to the Black and Gold in recent years. MU was 12-4 outside the PSAC East a season ago. Against non-PSAC West opponents, the Marauders were 8-2. That trend has continued early on in 09-10, as MU is10-3 in non-conference play this season.
•    Millersville has compiled a 42-19 record against non-conference opponents since 2006-07.
•    MU has only had a losing record in non-conference play once in the last seven seasons. In 2005-06, the Marauders were 7-10 outside of the PSAC East.

DOUBLING UP
•    Senior Jenna Craig has increased her double-double total in each of the three seasons she has been in the program. As a freshman, Craig picked up just one double-double. That number jumped to four as a sophomore and nine as a junior. She picked up her first as a senior (13 pts., 10 reb.) in MU's 68-41 victory over Philadelphia.
•    Outside of Craig's 16 career double-doubles, members of the 2009-10 team account for just four more. Raquel Green has registered a double-double three times in her career with the Black and Gold, while Aiesha Bellamy notched her first career double-double last season against Kutztown on March 3.

PRE-SEASON PRAISE
•    The Marauders were picked to finish second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division when the conference's coaches released their pre-season poll on Oct. 29.
•    Millersville received three first place votes, the same amount as division-favorite, West Chester. Last season the Marauders and Golden Rams finished as regular season co-champions of the Eastern Division after compiling 11-3 records in PSAC East play.
•    Craig, a 2008-09 All-PSAC East Second Team selection, was named to the 2009-10 PSAC East Preseason All-Conference Team.

GETTING OFFENSIVE
•    Craig was a dominant rebounder at both ends of the floor last season, but her 100 offensive rebounds marked an impressive feat. She became the first Marauder to register triple-digit offensive boards in a season since Destinne Parker-Stewart and Kristy Garner both pulled down 104 in 2004-05.

HOME COOKING
•    Since Millersville began playing its home games in Pucillo Gymnasium in 1982, the Marauders are an impressive 268-78 at home in 27-plus 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 19 of 27 seasons at Pucillo, including a stretch of seven straight seasons from 1996 to 2002. The team has already registered four more wins and sits at 8-0 in games played at Pucillo in 2009-10.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
•    The Marauders have started the season with a win in 17-of-20 Mary Fleig-coached openers. MU has won its last four openers, including this season's 69-33 blowout win over the University of the District of Columbia. The last season-opening loss for MU came at the hands of the College of St. Rose, 81-75, in 2005-06. The program is 39-15 in openers dating back to the 1956-57 season.

WORTH THE WAIT
•    After redshirting during the 2008-09 season, many Marauder fans didn't know what to expect from 5-foot-7 guard Mashira Newman. Newman burst onto the scene with three strong games to start the season, giving the program just a taste of what's to come. She started her career by posting 13 points and eight steals in the Marauders 69-33 win over UDC. A day later, she followed it up with a 22-point, nine rebound performance, which included five assists and four more steals in a stat-stuffer of a game. Her hot start was recognized by the conference when she was named PSAC East Athlete of the Week on Nov. 23.
•    Newman, a North Hills, Pa., native has continued to provide a steady presence for the Marauders throughout the season. She is the team's leader in scoring at 10.9 points per game and leads the PSAC in steals (52) and steals per game (3.5).

SECOND CHANCE
•    Senior forward Raquel Green was in the midst of an impressive 2008-09 season, before having it cut short after 15 games. At the time she was averaging 7.5 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and was amongst the team leaders in blocked shots. Green has come back strong in 2009-10 and provided much needed depth to this Millersville team. She put together a pair of double-figure scoring, six-rebound games early in the season, before having a monster performance (19 points, 16 rebounds) in MU's 53-52 upset of #10 California (Pa.) on Jan. 3. Green is averaging 10.1 points per game and leads the team in blocked shots with 22. She's scored in double-figures in five of her last six games.

VARIETY SCORING
•    12 of the 14 players that saw action in Millersville's season-opening win over UDC found their way onto the scoresheet. The trend continued against Lock Haven when all 10 participants scored at least a point. The Marauders have had 10 or more players register a point in 7-of-15 contests this season.

CROSSOVERS
•    The Black and Gold is 14-10 against PSAC West programs during regular season play, dating back to 2006-07. The Marauders were 4-1 against Western Division foes last season and are 4-1 this season.

THE NIFTY FIFTIES
•    Through 15 games, Millersville is once again on pace to hold its opponents' offenses under 60 points per game. The Marauders are currently giving up a PSAC-best 51.7 ppg and have not allowed an average of 60 points per game for a season since 2005-06. In fact, Millersville has only allowed its opponents to finish with more than 60 points per game twice in the last seven seasons.

LEVEL 15
•    Raquel Green recorded a Millersville rarity on Sunday with her 19-point, 16-rebound double-double. She became the first Marauder to register over 15 points and 15 rebounds in the same game since Jenna Craig had 16 and 16 against West Chester back on Feb. 7, 2009, a span of 20 games. Craig accomplished the feat twice last season, also going for 15 and 15 on Dec. 18, 2008 vs. Saint Leo. Prior to that, a Millersville player had not pulled off 15 and 15 since Kristy Garner scored 20 points and grabbed 15 boards in an 87-68 win over Cheyney on Jan. 29, 2005.

STEAL STATS
•    The Marauders have already racked up 236 steals this season, for an average of nearly 16 per game (15.7). The school record is held by the 1999-2000 team, which recorded 453 (14.1 per game). With a comparative number of games, this year's squad is on pace to break that record. That will be no easy task, though, as the 99-00 squad played 32 games (25-7). For Millersville to break the record in it's remaining 12 regular season games, it would have to average 18.1 steals per game.
•    Redshirt freshman Mashira Newman already has three games of seven steals or more. The feisty guard  has racked up 52 steals in 15 games and the school record for steals by a freshman, set by Safiyyah Bashir  (71 in 1997-98), could be in jeopardy. Newman has also threatened the school record for steals in a game (10), which has been done by five different players.