Kutztown, Pa. - The Millersville University women's basketball team was locked in a 42-42 tie with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter, but a 15-2 run by Kutztown that spanned the rest of the period put the Marauders in a hole they were unable to overcome. Olivia Mottern was a bright spot for Millersville, setting new career highs in points (23), field goals made (8) and 3-pointers (6). Her 66.7 shooting percentage (8-for-12) also marked a career high. 

"Olivia Mottern had a great first half and continued that into the second half," head coach Mary Fleig said. "She stepped up in a lot of different areas. She was our key ball handler, hit some shots for us and played well on defense."

The Marauders (6-11, 3-7 PSAC) have now lost two-straight games, while the Golden Bears (9-9, 7-4 PSAC) improve to 5-3 at home.

Kutztown entered the game allowing a 34.0 3-point percentage to its opponents, tied with Clarion for the highest mark in the PSAC. Millersville exploited this with a 39.1 3-point percentage (9-for-23), tying a season high in 3-pointers and falling one short of the season high for 3-point attempts. The Marauders made nine field goals in the first half, six were 3-pointers.

Along with Mottern, Samantha Brusha (13) and Courtney Dimoff (10) also scored in double figures. Brusha, Dimoff and Lauren Lister each grabbed a team-high five rebounds, while Kendra Bamberger led the team in assists for the fourth-straight game, totaling four. 

Millersville held an 11-9 lead after the first quarter and neither team led by more than four points throughout the second quarter and most of the third. The two teams exchanged the lead back and forth 15 times throughout the second and third quarters, which accounted for every lead change of the game. 

ADDITIONAL QUOTES
• "We got killed on the boards throughout the whole game. Not defending and not rebounding were the two biggest factors that led to our loss."
• "It was a close first half. I thought we played well in the first quarter. Our defense did a good job and held them to 25 percent shooting. But, we didn't score too much in the first quarter either."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• While Millersville found success with its long range shooting, Kutztown did most of its damage near the rim, totaling 50 points in the paint and holding a 44-20 edge in rebounds. The Golden Bears also scored 17 second chance points off 18 offensive rebounds.
• The Marauders went 16-for-17 from the charity stripe for a 94.1 free throw percentage, their highest of the season.
• Millersville (19) and Kutztown (20) were nearly even in turnovers, with the Marauders scoring 24 points off turnovers and the Golden Bears notching 22.

NOTES
• With the win, Kutztown snaps a three-game losing streak to Millersville.
• This marks the Golden Bears' largest margin of victory over the Marauders since their 69-41 win on Jan. 9, 2002.
• The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather. 

UP NEXT
• Millersville returns home to face Lock Haven on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium. 
 

---

FOLLOW THE MARAUDERS
• Be the first to know what's going on with the Marauders -- Follow @VilleMarauders on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Millersville Athletics on Facebook, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To support the Marauders, join the Black & Gold Club.