Complete Game Notes

GAME QUICK FACTS
#23 Millersville (23-4, E1) vs. West Chester (18-9, E4)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 — 7 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium, Millersville, Pa.

COVERAGE
Audio: MSBN
Live Stats: Click Here

TICKETS
Students from PSAC member institutions with a valid ID - FREE
Adults - $7.00
All other students - $2.00
* PSAC Passes will also be honored

MILLERSVILLE NEWS & NOTES
•    Millersville is ranked 23rd in the latest USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Coaches' Poll. The Marauders should remain there or jump up when the next poll is released on Tuesday afternoon.
•    The NCAA announced that its regional tournament formatting is taking on a new look. The announcment came at a peculiar time, seeing as how post-season play is right around the corner. Of the eight teams that make the NCAA Division II Tournament from the Atlantic Region, the top two will now host first and second round games. This is a change from previous years where the top-seeded school hosted all eight teams. Millersville currently sits third in the regional rankings, behind Gannon and California (Pa.). While Gannon, the No. 1 team in the country, will most likely not be caught, the potential exists for MU to jump Cal for the second spot and, in turn, host first and second round games on March 12 and 13.
•    The Marauders continue to roll on at a torrid pace, winners in 16 of their last 17 games. The only loss during this streak was a 67-58 setback at Cheyney on Jan. 27.
•    West Chester was the Eastern Division pre-season favorite, as selected by the coaches, but the Golden Rams fell a bit short of expectations during conference play. WCU dropped its opening two games in conference play (at Millersville and at Bloomsburg) and had to play catch-up to claim the division's fourth and final playoff spot.
•    The Marauders handed West Chester a 68-57 setback on Jan. 13. Trailing by 10 midway through the first half, Millersville reeled off nine straight going to the locker room and swung the momentum of the game. MU led by as many as 19 in the second half and WCU never mounted a serious comeback over the final 20 minutes.
•    The Black and Gold also downed West Chester 53-44 at WCU in a game that was pushed back a day due to snow. The Marauders never trailed in that contest and they were led by Jenna Craig's 19 points and 11 rebounds.
•    Millersville will once again look to rely on its defense. Offensively the Marauders are the lowest-scoring team in the PSAC Tournament. MU averages just 62.9 points per game, which ranks 12th in the conference. Indiana (Pa.) at 66.9 points per game is the next lowest-scoring team to make the eight-team field. The Marauders defense (50.6 ppg) does allow nearly seven points per game fewer than the next best team in the tournament (Gannon, 57.4 points per game).
•    Millersville leads the all-time series with West Chester 41-20. MU has swept the regular season series with WCU in two of the last three seasons, and has enjoyed postseason success against the Golden Rams. The Marauders are 5-2 in seven PSAC Tournament meetings against their rivals from Eastern Pennsylvania. The most recent of those meetings came in 2006-07 when MU pulled off a 57-54 victory.
•    Tickets for Tuesday night's game are $7 for adults and $2 for students. Students from PSAC member institutions with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge. PSAC Passes will also be honored.

SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
•    West Chester is Millersville's longest standing rival and the two schools will be meeting for the 71st time. West Chester is making its 18th PSAC Tournament appearance, having gone 10-17 in its previous showings.
•    WCU has never won a PSAC Championship in women's basketball. The Golden Rams made their only conference title game in 2003, falling 62-58 against California (Pa.).
•    Deirdre Kane's squad is 4-2 since its loss to Millersville in early February. Needing wins in its last two games, WCU succeeded by beating Shippensburg in overtime on Wednesday and  routing East Stroudsburg by 19 on Saturday. The Golden Rams are 7-5 on the road this season.
•    Renata Neal has been the Golden Rams' scoring leader all season, but she now splits the top spot with Janelle Garber. Neal and Garber are both averaging 11.1 points per game, although Neal (301 points) has two more points on the season than Garber. The teammates rank 28th and 29th in PSAC scoring, respectively.
•    Sophomore Allison Hostetter joins the duo as a legitimate scoring threat. Hostetter puts up nearly 10 points per game (9.8), but can also find the open teammate. She's second on the team in assists with 77 (3.0 per game).
•    Beyond the big three, West Chester gets its scoring from a variety of options. Megan Stewart and Jillian Keefer both average over seven points per game, while Mary Kate Serratelli is scoring five per contest. It is for this reason that WCU ranks sixth in the conference in scoring offense.
•    Defensively, the Golden Rams are no slouch either. They are giving up 61.6 points per game, good enough for fourth best in the PSAC. WCU is 65th in the nation in scoring defense.
•    Four players have shown the ability to knock down the outside shot consistently for West Chester this season. Stewart leads the team with 28 3-pointers, while Serratelli has hit 19. Natalie Winters (18) and Keefer (17) also occupy the list of players that have hit 10 or more treys.
•    Hostetter may be just 5-foot-7, but that doesn't stop her from being one of the team's leading rebounders. While Neal leads the squad with 6.9 per game, the sophomore guard is second on the team, bringing in six boards per game.
•    Stewart does much more than deposit the ball in the basket for this West Chester team. She's the Golden Rams' assists leader by a wide margin with 123 and also paces the team in the steals department with 89.
•    West Chester's Alex Lennon was named PSAC East Freshman of the Week on Monday, her first such award of the season. Lennon averaged 11 points and six rebounds over two games this past week, but hasn't done much in limited playing time against MU. The rookie has two points, nine rebounds and five blocks against the Marauders in 20 minutes of play between the two games.
•    Millersville and West Chester are relatively even when it comes to rebounding and blocked shots. The Marauders are fifth in the PSAC with 41 boards per game, while the Golden Rams rank seventh at 40.6 per night. MU holds down the third spot in the conference for blocked shots, as it averages 4.9 per contest. West Chester is close behind in fourth with 4.8 per game.

LOOKING BACK
•    On a day where the Millersville women's basketball team honored its six seniors, it was junior Dominique Stroman that led the way. Stroman scored a career-high 16 points and added four assists as the 23rd-ranked Marauders rolled past Mansfield 72-42 at Pucillo Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
•    Ashley Moyer connected on a 3-pointer on Millersville's very first possession and Stroman added two buckets as the Black and Gold put the first 11 points on the board. Mansfield, losers in 13 of its last 15 games, fought back by scoring 16 of the next 23 points to pull within two at 18-16.
•    The PSAC Eastern Division Champion Marauders (23-4, 13-1 PSAC East) would turn the tables quickly though, outscoring the Mountaineers (5-21, 2-12 PSAC East) 16-4 over the final 11:09 of the half. Moyer put an exclamation point on the half when she buried a shot from just inside half court as time expired. Balanced scoring paved the way for MU, as Moyer and Jenna Craig each had nine at the break and Stroman followed close behind with eight.
•    Mansfield's valiant first half effort could not be sustained in the second. Millersville's speed and depth worn down the visitors and before the half reached the 10 minute mark the Marauders had built a 26-point lead at 57-31. Moyer continued to rain in the 3-pointers, totaling a game-high five. That number also matched a career-high for 3-pointers in a single game for the senior.
•    The Marauders continued to distribute the offensive wealth with four starters posting double-figure scoring days before giving way to the reserves. Stroman evened her scoring in each to finish with 16, while Moyer's five 3-pointers accounted for all 15 of her points. Craig collected 11, while Raquel Green scored 10 to reach double figures for the ninth time in 11 games.
•    Defensively Mansfield failed to apply the pressure necessary to upend a hot Millersville squad which has now won nine in a row and 16 of 17 heading into the PSAC Tournament. The Mountaineers allowed MU to shoot 50-percent for the day (28-of-56), while shooting a paltry 22.4-percent (13-of-58) themselves. Mallory Moore was the only bright spot for Mansfield, potting a game-high 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
•    Craig and Green each matched Moore on the boards with eight rebounds apiece. The Black and Gold, which held a 34-12 advantage in paint points, had 12 players record at least a point in the contest. The Marauders forced 29 turnovers and scored 30 points off of them.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
•    Millersville's defense is allowing the fewest points in the nation at the Division II level. The Marauders are giving up 50.6 points per game and top the list of 271 teams competing at the Division II level.
•    The Black and Gold also ranks third nationally in steals per game (15.2) and fifth in turnover margin (+7.0).
•    Mashira Newman's 3.6 steals per game puts her fifth in that category amongst her NCAA Division II counterparts. Three of the top 20 players in steals per game are from the PSAC. California (Pa.)'s Brooque Williams is third and Cheyney's Stephanie Orji is 18th.

LUCKY 7's
•    No Millersville team in the history of the program had ever put together two-separate seven-game winning streaks in a season. The 2009-10 squad has done that and more in racing to a 23-4 record. The Marauders opened the season with seven straight victories before falling to Holy Family on Dec. 21. MU then reeled off another seven wins from Jan. 3-23, with the streak being snapped at Cheyney. The Black and Gold turned the trick a third time when they beat Bloomsburg on Feb. 20; a streak that has continued and currently stands at nine games.

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. Raquel Green is the team's leader at 11.6 points per game, which ranks 24th in the conference. The fact that there is only one MU player in the top 30 in the league in scoring is further proof of just how well-rounded the Marauders are. 92-percent of Millersville's offense (57.8 of its 62.9 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. Craig has two double-doubles as of Feb. 15.
•    Outside of Craig's 17 career double-doubles, members of the 2009-10 team account for just six more. Raquel Green has registered a double-double seven 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.
•    Mashira Newman earned her first career double-double with a 14-point, 10-rebound effort at East Stroudsburg on Feb. 24.

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.
•    Raquel Green is poised to follow Craig's lead from a year ago. Green currently has 98 offensive rebounds this season, just two shy of the mark. She has nearly as many offensive rebounds as she does defensive (100).

HOME COOKING
•    Since Millersville began playing its home games in Pucillo Gymnasium in 1982, the Marauders are an impressive 273-78 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 13-0 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 second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and second in the PSAC in steals (96) and steals per game (3.6). Newman has also earned PSAC East Freshman of the Week honors twice this season.

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 a much needed spark 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 11.6 points per game and leads the team in blocked shots with 40. She's scored in double-figures in 14 of her last 18 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 10 games 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 27 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 and NCAA Division II-best 50.6 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 410 steals this season, an average of 15.2 per game. 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. The '99-'00 squad played 32 games (25-7) and was the winningest team in school history.
•    Redshirt freshman Mashira Newman already has four games of seven steals or more. The feisty guard  has racked up 96 steals in 27 games and broke the school record for steals by a freshman on Feb. 3 against East Stroudsburg. The record had been held by Safiyyah Bashir  (71 in 1997-98) for 12 seasons before Newman surpassed it. With four more steals Newman will become the first Marauder to eclipse the 100-steal plateau since Gema Robles accomplished the feat during the 2002-03 season. Robles set the single season school and PSAC record with 171 steals that season.

CHASING 500
•    Coach Mary Fleig is nine wins away from 500 in her 27 year career. Fleig spent seven seasons at Franklin & Marshall before coming to Millersville, where she's been for the last 20. Fleig has a career record of 491-246 and a record of 369-186 at MU.