West Chester, Pa. - The Millersville University women's basketball team never trailed by more than 10, but couldn't quite get the run it needed in its 77-69 loss at West Chester on Monday night in the PSAC Tournament First Round. The difference came at the free throw line, the Marauders got to the line six times and shot 50 percent (3-for-6) while the Golden Rams shot 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the charity stripe.

"In every category we were either even or had an advantage, except for free throws," head coach Mary Fleig said. "These kids came out to play tonight and we battled really well and played really well on defense. We were really in it the first two quarters, but couldn't quite win a quarter."

Millersville (12-16, 9-11 PSAC) was making its 22nd playoff appearance in the last 23 seasons, while West Chester (16-13, 11-9 PSAC) advances to the quarterfinal round and will travel to Bloomsburg on Wednesday, March 6.

The Marauders made it to the PSAC Tournament despite boasting a roster with seven freshmen and just two upper classmen. Millersville also lost its leading scorer from last season and sat out of the playoff picture following a loss on Jan. 23. The Marauders then won six of their next seven to propel themselves back into the playoff race and were one win away from hosting a first round game.

"These kind of games will be very beneficial for our young kids," Fleig said. "I'm excited about the future. There were definitely some positives to take away from this year."

Lauren Lister finished her historic season with a game-high 27 points off a 54.5 shooting percentage (12-for-22). Her 22.4 points per game is now the highest single season scoring average in program history, breaking the previous mark of 20.1 points per game set by Karen Armold in the 1988-98 season. Lister also shattered the program's sophomore scoring record with 604 points, the previous mark was held by Aurielle Mosley who scored 483 during the 2010-11 season. The is also sophomore is just 18 points away from 1,000 in her collegiate career.

"I'm really impressed and happy that Lauren had the season that she had," Fleig said. "We relied on her to do a lot of scoring all season and she added a lot to our offensive output. It's great to see someone come along and break records, and I think she'll break a lot more."

Lister also missed just one minute of action, tied for team highs with eight rebounds and five assists and notched a game-high four steals. 

Samantha Brusha was second on the team with 15 points, shot 75 percent (6-for-8), including going 3-for-5 from beyond the arch, and pulled down five boards. Olivia Mottern also tallied double figures with 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. In the final game of her collegiate career, Kendra Bamberger pulled down eight boards, totaled five assists, recorded two steals and registered one block. She finishes her Marauder career 15th all-time in program history with 603 rebounds.

"Kendra put her heart and soul into this program," Fleig said. "Her work ethic and leadership meant a lot to us during the five years that she was here."

The Marauders started the game on a 10-6 run to grab an early lead, but the Golden Rams finished the first quarter on a 16-9 run to grab a lead they would not surrender. Millersville kept battling to stay in the game, never trailing by more than nine until the final minute, but West Chester was able to put a halt to any Marauder momentum.

Millersville shot 46.9 percent (30-for-64) and 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from beyond the arch, while the Golden Rams shot 46.2 percent (40-for-65) and 30.8 percent (4-for-13) from beyond the arch. The Marauders also outrebounded West Chester 38-36 and were not outscored by more than three points in any quarter.

ADDITIONAL QUOTES
• "We were able to take away some of their top scorers, but some of their other kids managed to score on us. We made some adjustments at halftime in terms of who to guard, and we made them well but they also managed to adjust."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Four Golden Rams scored in double figures, with Destiny Jefferson tallying a team-high 21. She scored just 13 points over her previous two games against the Marauders this season.
• This marks Lister's 18th 20-point game of the season and the 15th and 10th time this season Mottern and Brusha scored in double figures, respectively.
• Kennedy Middleton started for the first time in 14 games and put together a solid performance, notching six points, five rebounds and two assists.
• Millersville scored 36 points in the paint, eight points off turnovers, 10 second chance points, 13 fast break points and 17 bench points.

NOTES
• The Golden Rams have now won their last seven games against the Marauders and the last nine games at West Chester.
• Millersville still leads the all-time postseason series against the Golden Rams, 6-5.
• The last time the Marauders lost in the PSAC Tournament First Round came in the 2013-14 season.

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