Complete Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
Millersville (3-7, 1-5 PSAC) at California (Pa.) (6-6, 3-3 PSAC)
Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
California, Pa.

Millersville at #23 Indiana (Pa.) (8-2, 5-1 PSAC)
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
Indiana, Pa.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)

SERIES INFORMATION
Millersville vs. California: 40-18
Series Streak: California, 1
First Meeting: 1930 (Ville 36, Cal 26)
Last Meeting: 2010 (Cal 59, Ville 40)

Millersville vs. IUP: 16-17
Series Streak: IUP, 1
First Meeting: 1930 (Ville 34, IUP 30)
Last Meeting: 2010 (IUP 54, Ville 68)

THE STARTING FIVE
(1) Millersville returns to action for the first time in 26 days and are hoping the long layoff is a fresh start. The Marauders lost seven of eight games before the break  and hit the road against where California and Indiana are a combined 8-3 at home. While two of Millersville's three wins have come on the road this season, road games have not been kind to Millersville in recent years. Over the last four seasons, Millersville is 9-34 on the road and 6-24 against PSAC teams. This season, Millersville is averaging 78 points per game at home but 68.8 on the road.

(2) Millersville has dominated the all-time series with California (40-18), but the series has been closer in recent years. Fred Thompson is 8-5 head-to-head against Bill Brown, and  is 3-4 on the road. In 2003, Thompson led the Marauders to a PSAC Championship inside Hamer Hall by defeating CalU 79-74. Thompson's teams, however, have not fared nearly as well against IUP. He's 2-2 against Lombardi but 1-7 against IUP otherwise. Millersville has lost two in a row at IUP and its last win at IUP came on Jan. 13, 2008 by a 58-40 score.

(3) January is a pivotal month for the Marauders to make a push toward the PSAC Tournament. While they are 1-5 in league play, the Marauders are just a game out of the playoffs with seven of the eight teams in the East with three league wins or less. In Thompson's 13 previous seasons, his teams are 70-58 in the month, and the record in the month is generally a representation of the entire season. The Marauders have had six seasons with a winning percentage of .500 or lower, and the record in January during those season is 17-38. Over the last three seasons, the Marauders are 8-24 in the month (4-6 last season). 

(4) Millersville entered 2011-12 counting on big production from forward Jaymes Miller, especially since he averaged 12.0 points per game over his last 15 games of 2010-11. Through the first 10 games of his freshman year, he averaged 5.5 points and 2.0 rebounds and then turned up the production in the second semester. The Marauders already started seeing signs of Miller's second half turnaround in its games at Lock Haven and Edinboro. Miller totaled a season-high 21 points against LHU and scored eight points and pulled down a career-high nine rebounds against Edinboro.  

(5) Elijah Obade has emerged as a powerful post presence over the last seven games. Since scoring 14 points against Slippery Rock, he's scored double-digits in five of the last seven games and has grabbed at least nine rebounds in each of the last six games. He's averaged 13.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He leads the PSAC in blocked shots, ranks fourth in rebounding and eighth in field goal percentage.

ABOUT THE VULCANS
·     California started the season 5-0 with three conference wins, but since losing 71-65 to Bloomsburg on Dec. 4, the Vulcans have hit a slide in which it has lost six of seven games including three in a row to PSAc Eastern Division programs (Bloomsburg, Kutztown and East Stroudsburg).  All six losses, however, have come by fewer than 10 points and only one came at home. The Vulcans are 4-1 at home, going 3-0 in Hamer Hall and 1-1 in the brand new Convocation Center. Coach Bill Brown is one of the legendary bosses in the PSAC. Now in his 16th season, he owns a 310-139 record with five NCAA Tournament appearances. Cal has averaged 84.0 points per game in its six wins but just 66.7 in its six losses. The team ranks sixth in the league in scoring offense and fifth in scoring defense. Keith Lowe, a transfer from Edison Community College joined the club after the fall semester and has averaged 15.3 points in his three games.

ABOUT THE CRIMSON HAWKS
·     After reaching the NCAA Atlantic Regional final and winning its second consecutive PSAC title last year, the Crimson Hawks have not missed a beat. Boasting an 8-2 overall record and a 5-1 conference mark, the Crimson Hawks' only losses came 66-64 to Bloomsburg and to W.Va. Wesleyan over break. Ashton Smith and Julian Sanders have smoothly transitioned into the lead scoring threats. Smith is second in the PSAC with 20.6 points per game. He's also the team leader with 3.3 assists per game. Sanders is scoring 15.5 points per game, and both players are deadly accurate from the field. Smith is shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 47.2 from three. Sanders is 49.0 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from three. The team relies heavily on its top-ranked defense. The offense is not that potent at 72.0 ppg.