Box Score

Millersville, Pa. — Raquel Green, Mashira Newman, and Jenna Craig each had outstanding afternoons, as the Millersville women's basketball team put forth its best offensive showing in six games, cruising to a 72-53 win over Slippery Rock at Pucillo Gymnasium on Saturday.

The Marauders (9-3) were excellent from the floor in the first half, due in large part to the play of Green. The senior, who scored a team-high 19 points in last Sunday's 53-52 upset of then-No. 10 California, nearly equaled that total in the first 20 minutes of Saturday's game. Green started the game by scoring 15 of Millersville's first 19 points, and did so on 6-of-7 shooting. Slippery Rock, playing better than its record, still gave the Marauders a hard time throughout the opening 10 minutes. The Rock (3-9) got each of its first seven buckets from a different player, holding a 15-14 lead at the 10:35 mark.

Response came in the form of a 25-7 run over the remainder of the half by the Black and Gold. A major turning point in the half was Newman's heave from 10 feet beyond the 3-point line which banked in to give MU a 25-18 lead with 4:43 to go. The Marauders rattled off 10 straight after the Newman dagger to grab a commanding 17-point lead, their largest of the half. Millersville cashed in on The Rock's mistakes, scoring 23 of its 39 first half points off of 18 SRU turnovers. Green finished the half with 17 points, while Craig led the way on the boards with seven.

A 3-pointer by Ashley Moyer, followed by lay-ups from Craig and Green, gave MU a 48-28 lead just 2:34 into the second half. The basket by Green was her only one over the final 20 minutes, as she played sparingly and just missed registering her first 20-point game since Mar. 1, 2008. SRU closed the gap to 12 with 7:40 remaining, but MU quickly bumped the lead back to 19 with stellar foul shooting from Newman and baskets by Craig and Dominique Stroman.

While the offense did its part on Saturday, MU's defense stonewalled yet another opponent. The 53 points allowed were right on the Marauders' PSAC-leading average. Millersville shot 46.3-percent from the field and 50-percent (5-of-10) from 3-point land. The team also had one of its most proficient outings at the foul line this season, knocking down 17-of-22. Much of the charity stripe success was to be laid on the hands of Newman (16 points), however, as she was a perfect 11-of-11 at the line, including 10-of-10 in the second half.

The offensively stout performances by Green and Newman did not overshadow Craig's 16th career double-double, as she ended up with 10 points and 10 boards. Craig also yanked down double-digit rebounds for the 29th time in a Millersville uniform. Moyer finished with eight points, hitting multiple 3-pointers for the first time in four games, and collected a season-high four rebounds, as MU improved to 11-9 all time against The Rock. Julie Molloy was the only double-figure scorer for SRU, leading her team with 20, 12 of which came in the second half.

Millersville, which went 3-1 last season in two PSAC crossover weekends, can do the same this season by defeating Mercyhurst tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off from Pucillo is scheduled for 1 p.m.