Complete Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
Millersville (8-3, 5-2 PSAC) vs. California (Pa.) (9-2, 5-2 PSAC)
Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 - 5:30 p.m.
Convocation Center, California (Pa.)

Millersville vs. #16 Indiana (Pa.) (10-3, 5-2 PSAC)
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 - 5:30 p.m.
Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, Indiana (Pa.)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)
Live Stats (CalU) | Live Stats (IUP)
Live Video (IUP)

SERIES INFORMATION

Mary Fleig vs. IUP: 8-12
Jeff Dow vs. Millersville: 2-2

GAME NOTES
(1)  Millersville had not entered a pair of games following a loss until this coming weekend, as the team's other two losses were both on the front end of back-to-backs. In the Marauders' past two games, they earned a split with a 68-39 win over Slippery Rock and a 69-64 loss at the hands of Edinboro. For her play over the two games, senior Aurielle Mosley earned her third PSAC East Athlete of the Week award of the season Monday. In those two games, Mosley posted back-to-back double-doubles with 14 points and 10 boards against The Rock. The next day against the Fighting Scots, the forward had 16 points and 12 rebounds for her 40th career double-double performance. The three PSAC East Athlete of the Week awards tie a career-high that Mosley set for herself during her sophomore season 2010-11.

(2) The Marauders' next two opponents are just as good as they are, as the first team, California (Pa.) sports a 9-2 (5-2 PSAC) record heading into Friday. Indiana (Pa.), ranked No. 16 nationally, has posted a 10-3 (5-2 PSAC) record to date, but does play Shippensburg Friday before welcoming Millersville to the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex Saturday evening. The visitors in both games, Millersville did earn a split last year against these teams, falling to the Vulcans in overtime but besting the Crimson Hawks on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Carly Gallagher. The Marauders are only 9-21 all-time against Cal and 11-19 against IUP, but have taken two of the past three meetings from each team.

(3) Like any other team, Millersville needs to do certain things right to win each game. Before mentioing anything else, however, Millersville  needs to improve its free throw percentage. While the team has gotten to the line more times than its opponents so far this season (264-242), the Marauders rank dead-last in the PSAC in free throw percentage, shooting just 60.2 percent from the line, and those misses have cost the Marauders dearly. The Marauders got beat by Gannon by two in overtime while shooting just 53.1 percent from the line. They lost to Bellarmine by seven and shot just 66.7 percent from the free throw line, and dropped their most recent game against Edinboro while shooting just 50 percent on what should have been “free points”.

(4) Despite the shortcomings at the line, the Marauders do certain things well that allow them win games. Millersville is undefeated in the following scenarios: when leading or tied at half (8-0, 5-0 PSAC), when scoring 80 points or more (2-0, 1-0), when opponents score 60 points or less (5-0, 4-0) and when the team outrebounds its opponents (6-0, 3-0). Further highlight the Marauders' strengths this season, the team hasn't allowed any of its 11 opponents to shoot 50 percent from the field.

(5) Further points that work in the Marauders' favor, especially on Friday against Cal are the facts that: a) Millersville has not lost a game when following up a loss yet this season, at a perfect 2-0, including following up a PSAC loss against Gannon with a win over Mercyhurst, and b) the Marauders are a perfect 2-0 on the road against PSAC opponents this season. Back on Dec. 1 and 2 in the third and fourth games of the season, Millersville swept a PSAC crossover weekend with wins against Lock Haven (72-49) and Clarion (83-65), respectively.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA
· California (Pa.) is strong once again in its second year under head coach Jess Strom, who took over as the interim part of the way through last season and guided the team to a 14-7 finish, including a trip to the PSAC Tournament. The Vulcans are 9-2 overall and 5-2 against PSAC competition. Friday's home team won four games in a row to start its 2012-13 season before dropping  a home game against PSAC West rival Edinboro, one of three teams that also defeated the Marauders this season. Currently, the Vulcans are on a three-game win streak, recently defeating PSAC East teams Kutztown and East Stroudsburg by four and 15 points, respectively.
    The good news for Millersville is that, while Cal owns a strong 4-2 home record, Hammer Hall is the only place where the Vulcans have lost this season, posting a 5-0 record on the road. When they win, they do win convincingly, posting the second-best point differential in the PSAC at 15.2 points per game.
    Cal does not have one dominant scorer, but does possess great depth and balance throughout its lineup, as eight players score at least 6.1 points per game, and seven of those eight average at least 7.4 points per contest. The team's best player may be forward Ashley Hines who, despite not starting a game yet this season, has posted 11.1 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. She shoots a team-best 56.8 percent from the field.

ABOUT INDIANA
· While Friday's game against Cal is no picnic in its own right, it doesn't get any easier for Millersville on Saturday, as the team travels to 16th-ranked Indiana (Pa.) on its way home. The Crimson Hawks are 10-3 on the season, boasting a 5-2 record in PSAC play to match Millersville in that category. Before the Marauders head to town, IUP hosts Shippensburg Friday evening. Friday's home team sprinted out of the gates in 2012-13, winning nine of its first 10 games before hitting its most recent stretch and dropping two of its past three outings. Kutztown, from the PSAC East, topped IUP at home last weekend by a 68-62 margin. The Crimson Hawks, however, have been much more comfortable at Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex this year, posting a 4-0 record at home.
   IUP's hallmark is winning games big, and the Crimson Hawks' point margin of +16.3 points per game this season leads the PSAC in that category. Indiana (Pa.) also boasts the league's best defense, limiting opposing squads to just 51.9 points per game. Like Cal above, IUP does not have one dominant scorer that it goes to repeatedly throughout the game. Instead the Crimson Hawks rely on their depth, with seven players averaging at least 7.2 points per game, paced by Sarah Pastorek's team-leading 12.8 per game rate. Even though IUP is a balanced scoring team, one area to exploit would be the glass. The Crimson Hawks rank 12th in the PSAC in rebounding, and no player averages more than 6.2 pulls per game.