Millersville, Pa. - The Millersville women's basketball team held its opponent to below 40 percent shooting from the field for an eighth-straight game and dominated in the paint once again as it cruised past a struggling Clarion squad 79-54 on Sunday afternoon in Pucillo Gymnasium.

The Marauders (10-4, 7-2 PSAC) have won seven of their last eight games since looking at a 3-3 record back on Nov. 30 and earned their 10th overall win nearly three weeks sooner than last season. In the all-time series the Golden Eagles (1-12, 0-8 PSAC) have dropped four straight and six of the last seven. 

Millersville didn't trail a single time all day and put on a clinic in several categories including second chance scoring (19-2), bench scoring (31-19), points in the paint (40-16), rebounds (44-27), and assists (17-7). The Marauders achieved or tied season-bests in field goals made (30), assists (17), turnovers (8), and points (79). That ties the fewest turnovers in a game for the Black and Gold since Feb. 7, 2007 at Bloomsburg (6). 

The home team opened the game on an 11-2 run in the first 4:52, made four of its first nine field goal attempts and the visitors were just 1-of-8 from the floor in that same stretch. Carly Gallagher poured in five points to fuel the fury while Aunjel Van Brakle added four and Alexis Martin scored a deuce of her own. Clarion was able to cut the deficit to four on a couple occasions but the Marauders used a 10-4 run to push the lead back to 10, 25-15. Alex Stam drilled a couple of 3-pointers to regain the momentum for Millersville. Stam has made at least two triples in four-straight contests and eight of her last 10 games. The Golden Eagles didn't go away quietly though and scored the next nine points to pull within one, 25-24. The hosts weathered the storm and headed into the locker room up six, 37-31.

Out of the intermission, the Marauders took the game away from Clarion with a 23-5 run that lasted until the 8:53 mark of the second half. Both Gallagher and Courtney Hinnant helped to keep the run going with seven points apiece and Millersville shot a red-hot 8-of-13 from the floor in that span. By that time, the Marauders were up 24, 60-36, and shifted into cruise control. The smallest the margin would get from that point on was 18 and happened twice, but Millersville's biggest lead was as big as 25 and came in the final score.

Individually, Gallagher led the way with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, made two of her three looks from behind the arc and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line. She also registered three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Behind the fifth-year senior, Hinnant scored a career-high 15 points and continues to come along nicely as an inside threat for Millersville. Hinnant made seven of her 10 field goal attempts to go with three rebounds, one assist and has reached double figures twice in the last four games. Van Brakle was the final scorer in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting in her first career start.

Looking ahead to the next four games, the Marauders have a very favorable schedule and will face Pitt-Johnstown, Cheyney, Lock Haven, and Shippensburg. The overall winning percentage of those four teams right now is just .404 (21-31) including a .394 mark in PSAC play (13-20). That stretch will begin against the Mountain Cats on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and is MIllersville's first road test since Dec. 17.