Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
Millersville (14-3, 4-0 PSAC East) at Cheyney (5-10, 2-2 PSAC East)
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 - 6 p.m.
Cope Hall, Cheyney, Pa.

Millersville at Mansfield (3-13, 0-4 PSAC East)
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 - 1 p.m.
Decker Gymnasium, Mansfield, Pa.

COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN

THE WEEK AHEAD
•    Two more wins in the past week pushed the Millersville University women's basketball team into sole possession of first place in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Marauders face two programs that they have had great success against, in Cheyney and Mansfield, this upcoming week.
•    Millersville has won its last 38 games against Cheyney, dating back to the 1990-91 season. Of those 38 straight wins, just two have been decided by less than 10 points.
•    Against Mansfield, the Marauders are 51-3 all-time. MU took 39 of the first 40 games in the series, but Mansfield has gotten two of its three wins within the last five seasons. The Mountaineers picked up a win in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Millersville has won the last five match-ups, however.
•    Last season Millersville beat Cheyney by 14 on the road (72-58) and Mansfield by 18 (61-43). When Mansfield visited Pucillo Gymnasium, the Marauders held the Mountaineers to just 26 points in a 58-26 drubbing. The game marked the first time that Millersville had held an opponent under 30 points since 1992-93, when it held Cheyney to 28 in a 94-28 blowout.

SCOUTING CHEYNEY
•    Cheyney has struggled to a 5-10 record, dropping eight of its last 10 games. The Wolves are 2-2 in PSAC Eastern Division play, thanks to wins over Mansfield and East Stroudsburg. Playing at home is usually thought of as an advantage for most teams, but such has not been the case with Cheyney. Marilyn Stephens' squad is 2-5 at Cope Hall this season.
•    While it's scoring has been on par with Millersville's, Cheyney has the same challenge ahead of it as its fellow PSAC East teams. The Millersville defense has allowed 50.8 points per game, far and away the best in the conference. Gannon has allowed the second-fewest points per game in the PSAC at 58.2 per contest.
•    Cheyney features the 15th and 16th leading-scorers in the PSAC in Angel Stephens and Lutifyya Muhammad. Each is scoring over 13 points per game, and the duo was 1-2 in scoring for the Wolves last season. Both players were also selected to the 2008-09 All-PSAC East Second Team.
•    Stephens does her damage around the basket and gets to the foul line. Her 70 free throw attempts are a team high. The senior is also averaging a team-best 8.7 rebounds per game and is a co-leader in blocks with 10.
•    Muhammad, a fellow senior, is the Wolves only 3-point threat. She's hit a team-high 23 this season, while no one else on the roster has hit more than two. Muhammad can distribute as well, leading the team with 47 assists.

SCOUTING MANSFIELD
•    Since starting the season 2-0, Mansfield's season has snowballed out of control in the wrong direction. The Mountaineers have won just once in their last 14 games.
•    With its inability to score the ball on a consistent basis, and Millersville's strong defense, Mansfield is going to need to find some lightning in a bottle to counter the Marauders on Saturday. Mansfield is the lowest scoring team in the PSAC at 53.0 ppg. On the defensive side, they are towards the bottom of the conference, giving up 65.4 ppg. The Mountaineers are getting outscored by over 12 points per game, which is the second worst scoring differential in the league.
•    Much like Cheyney, home has not been kind to Mansfield this season. Ruth Hermansen's club is 1-6 when hosting teams in its Northern Pennsylvania confines. The only win the Mountaineers have picked up at home during the 2009-10 campaign, was a 55-43 triumph over Lock Haven on Jan. 3, 2010.
•    One of the aspects that kept the Mountaineers in games over the past few seasons was 3-point shooting. A Mansfield player led the PSAC in 3-point field goals made in both 2006-07 and 2007-08. Currently, Mansfield is ninth in the PSAC in 3-pointers made with 80. Mallory Hafer, who led the league with 75 during the 06-07 season, has hit 44 treys this season, ranking her third in the league.
•    A key for Mansfield on Saturday will be to stay close early on. Many of the games have gotten away from the Red and Black, as they've only been within 10 points in three of their 13 losses.
•    The aforementioned Hafer, and Mallory Moore pace the Mountaineers' attack. Hafer averages a team-best 11.9 points per game and she's the only player on the team to have hit more than six 3-point field goals. Moore's 70 field goals are the most by any player on the team and she's been above average at the foul line, going 42-for-51 (82-percent).
•    Nicole Pender also gives the team solid offensive contributions, averaging over nine points per game. The problem for Mansfield is that the scoring falls off very quickly after the top three, with just one other player (Tegan Atallah) averaging more than five a game.
•    Beyond its scoring woes, another issue for Mansfield will be turnovers. While Millersville ranks second in the conference in turnover ratio (+7.94), Mansfield is 15th of the 16 teams at -7.63. The 14 turnover swing between the two squads could have major implications in thea teams' upcoming match-up.
•    Mansfield will certainly be looking to better its last performance against the Marauders. When Mansfield came to Pucillo Gymnasium last season, it left with a 58-26 defeat. The 26 points were a low for the Mountaineers since the modern day program was started in 1976.

LOOKING BACK
•    The youthful Bloomsburg Huskies came into Pucillo Gymnasium last Saturday afternoon hoping to build upon their early season success, but the Millersville women's basketball team would have none of it. The Marauders jumped out to a 21-point halftime lead, coasting to a 68-45 victory and sole possession of first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division.
•    With the Marauders leading 6-4, Raquel Green kick-started a 19-4 run that put Millersville ahead 25-8 with 5:33 to play in the first half. Jenna Craig finished two lay-ups and knocked down a jumper, while Mashira Newman converted two buckets in the run.
•    Bloomsburg (11-5, 3-1 PSAC East) wasn't helped any by foul troubles to its second-leading scorer, Kelsey Gallagher. The sophomore, who came in averaging over 14 points per game, went to the bench early with a pair of fouls and registered only two first half points as the Huskies fell behind big. The Marauders shutdown defense also limited freshman sensation Dana Wieller to four points on 2-of-9 shooting over the first 20 minutes.
•    Despite the early shooting woes, Millersville was able to create offense through its defense, scoring 20 points off of turnovers in the half. The Marauders also held a commanding 30-6 advantage in the paint and came up with nine steals. Green finished off the half with a lay-up that gave MU a 34-13 lead at intermission.
•    Newman, struggling through a 2-for-7 first half, used her court vision and athleticism to get her teammates involved. The rookie picked up five first half assists and added five more in the second, helping Millersville win for the seventh straight time. Newman's 10 assist game was the first by a Marauder since current assistant coach, Jayeneca Bailey, dished out 11 against Bloomsburg on Feb. 11, 2004.
•    The Black and Gold led by 23, its winning margin, three separate times in the second half. Green and Craig ensured that there would be no comeback hopes for the Huskies, combining for 13 points in the period. Green collected her fourth career double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Craig ended up with a season-high 15 points and eight rebounds. Newman wound up with nine points and seven steals to go along with her 10 dimes.
•    Contributions came from all around for MU, though, with Sophia Waters coming off the bench to score nine and Aurielle Mosley dropping eight. The Huskies were led by Gallagher's game-high 22 points, as she got hot, scoring 20 second half points. The only other Bloomsburg player to score more than five points in the contest was Kayla Oxenrider, who had nine. Millersville shot 42.6-percent from the floor and forced 31 BU turnovers. Mary Fleig's squad has now started 4-0 in the PSAC East twice in the last three seasons.

LUCKY 7's
•    No Millersville team in the history of the program had ever put together two separate winning streaks of seven games or more until this season. With their 68-45 win over Bloomsburg on Jan. 23, 2010, this Marauder squad has become the first to do just that. The team opened the season with seven straight victories, before dropping three straight. MU got back on the right track with a 53-52 upset win over No. 10 California (Pa.) on Jan. 3, and has won six more games since then during its current win streak.

GROUP EFFORT
•    When you look up and down the list of the PSAC's scoring leaders, you'll have to go quite far down the list under you find a Marauder.  In fact, there are none in the PSAC's stat report, which lists the top 30. While Mashira Newman and Raquel Green are the team leaders at 10.4 points per game, the fact that there are no MU players in the top 30 in the league in scoring is further proof of just how well-rounded the Marauders are. 87-percent of Millersville's offense (55.2 of its 63.5 points per game) comes from eight different players.

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 269-78 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 an unblemished 9-0 record 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 10.4 points per game and leads the PSAC in steals (61) and steals per game (3.6).

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 then-No. 10 California (Pa.) on Jan. 3. Green is averaging 10.4 points per game and leads the team in blocked shots with 27. She's scored in double-figures in six of her last eight 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 8-of-17 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 50.8 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.

DEJA VU
•    Millersville might want to start playing on January 3, every year if it can keep pulling off the fashionable wins it has in each of the last two seasons. On Jan. 3, 2009, the Marauders beat then-No. 8 Indiana (Pa.) 54-42 at Pucillo Gymnasium. On Jan. 3, 2010, the Marauders pulled out another upset of a ranked opponent, stunning then-No. 10 California (Pa.), 53-52, at Hamer Hall in California.

STEAL STATS
•    The Marauders have already racked up 271 steals this season, for an average of nearly 16 per game (15.9). 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 10 regular season games, it would have to average 18.2 steals per game.
•    Redshirt freshman Mashira Newman already has four games of seven steals or more. The feisty guard  has racked up 61 steals in 17 games and the school record for steals by a freshman, set by Safiyyah Bashir  (71 in 1997-98), is in serious jeopardy. Newman has also threatened the school record for steals in a game (10), which has been done by five different players.