Millersville, Pa. - The Millersville University women's basketball team kept clawing its way back into the game in the third and fourth quarters, but East Stroudsburg was able to respond and stop any Marauder momentum, eventually winning by the final score of 87-66. Millersville entered the game with a chance to go into the PSAC Tournament as the fourth seed and host a playoff game, but following its loss it will enter the tournament as the sixth seed.

The Marauders (12-15, 9-11 PSAC) snap a four-game win streak against the Warriors, while East Stroudsburg (12-15, 9-11 PSAC) will enter the PSAC Tournament as the fifth seed. 

The Warriors held an 18-point lead at the 5:16 mark in the third quarter, their largest of the game at that point, but Courtney Dimoff knocked down back-to-back threes and Olivia Mottern followed with a layup and an and-1 and finished the three-point play to cut the deficit to nine. Millersville wouldn't get any closer, but put together a 10-2 run in the fourth quarter to again make it a nine-point game with 6:01 left on the clock. However, East Stroudsburg finished the game on a 15-3 run to earn the victory.

"We didn't play well in the first half and struggled to get it going at the beginning of the second half," head coach Mary Fleig said. "We made a good run in the fourth quarter to get within nine, but they had an answer for our runs. They kept busting our momentum and answered with shots, rebounds and defensive stops."

Three Marauders scored in double figures: Lauren Lister (20), Dimoff (14) and Mottern (11). Kendra Bamberger scored eights points and pulled down seven rebounds in her final game at Pucillo Gymnasium. Lauren Lister shot 81.8 percent (9-for-11) and scored 15 of her points in the first half. The Warrior defense keyed in on her in the second half and didn't give Lister many good looks.

"They doubled up on Lauren in the second half and on Kendra on the inside," Fleig said. "We couldn't find ways for Lauren to score or ways to compensate for that."

East Stroudsburg began the game on an 11-0 run, but Millersville responded with an 11-4 run which included eight points from Lister. The Marauders came back to tie the game, 22-22, in the second quarter, but the Warriors finished the half on a 17-7 run to go into halftime with a 39-29 lead.

Millersville shot 48 percent, higher than the Warriors' 46.9 shooting percentage, but East Stroudsburg had an advantage in every other statistical category. The biggest difference came at the free throw line; the Warriors shot 77.3 percent from the charity stripe (17-for-22), while the Marauders shot just 57.1 percent (12-for-21). 

ADDITIONAL QUOTES
• "We let this one get away from us. I'm not sure if going a week between games got us out of sync, but we have some things to work on in practice tomorrow for West Chester on Monday."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Millersville's best run of the game, a 9-0 stretch, came in the second quarter. Lister scored seven of those points and the Marauders went 4-for-5 from the floor during that stretch to briefly take a three-point lead. 
• Five Warriors scored in double figures, with Noelle Powell totaling a team-high 20 off the bench.
• East Stroudsburg led in points in the paint (34-32), points off turnovers (27-14), second chance points (20-18)and fast break points (10-7). The Warriors also turned the ball over 17 times and shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arch, while Millersville had 23 turnovers and a 33.3 3-point percentage.
• Kendra Bamberger tallied a team-high three assists, the 10th time this season and 15th time in her career she has led Millersville in assists.

NOTES
• East Stroudsburg entered the game needing a win to remain in playoff contention
• Had the Marauders won they would have been the fourth seed. Lock Haven lost at Kutztown, 88-61.
• Millersville has lost back-to-back games for the first time since its three-game losing streak from Jan. 16-23. 
• Kendra Bamberger was honored after the game as part of Senior Day festivities.

UP NEXT
• The Marauders will travel to West Chester for a first round playoff game against the Golden Rams at 7 p.m. Millersville lost both of its games against West Chester this season. 
 

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