MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Millersville women's basketball continued its strong play Saturday afternoon, taking down East Stroudsburg for the second time in six days, and in dominating fashion, 72-54. The Marauders shot a season-high 55.3% from the floor and 84.2% from the charity strike. Millersville's 72-point showing is also its highest scoring performance in regulation this season.

The game was air-tight throughout the first quarter of play, as no team exceeded a lead greater than four. 'Ville was able to come out of the first 10 minutes on top, 15-13, behind seven of Brenna Ortwein's career-high 16 points.

Strong play from each team continued in the second, with both teams trading baskets leading into the final minutes of the quarter – that's when the Marauders broke loose. Millersville's offense erupted for an 11-3 run to end the second half, a run that included three Warrior turnovers and seven of Lauren Lister's game-high 19 points, which gave the Marauders a 12-point lead going into second-half play.

The Marauders began the third quarter with a 7-0 run that built their lead to 19, a lead they would manage to stay around for the majority of the second half, with their largest lead of the game (28) coming in the fourth quarter.

'Ville has now won three straight games, its largest win streak of the season. This victory moves them up in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East standings to No. 6. The top six teams in each PSAC division (eastern and western) qualify for the postseason.
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Ortwein drained a jumper with just under 2:30 remaining in the first quarter to give the Marauders a two-point lead and finish off her seven-point quarter.
• Lister drained two free throws to cap off a 11-3 run for Millersville at the end of the second quarter, a run in which she scored seven of the points.
• Mia Leonard picked up her third block of the game at the end of the third quarter on a last-second layup attempt for ESU's, Cassie Ksiazek. This kept 'Ville in front by 18 heading into the fourth.
• Ortwein converted an and-one at the 6:26 mark in the fourth quarter to give Millersville its largest lead of the game, 28. The freshman drilled a three four minutes later to secure her career high.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Marauders held the edge in points off turnovers (26-15), bench points (21-16), fast break points (23-13), and points in the paint (36-28).
• The Warriors held the edge in second chance points, 8-5.
• The Marauders forced 25 ESU turnovers.
• Millersville finished the game shooting 55.3% from the floor, 28.6% from beyond the arch, and 84.2% from the free-throw line. They shot a team-high 66.7% in the fourth quarter.
• Leonard led the team with seven rebounds, which ties her season high.
• Ortwein led the team with a career-high five assists in her best offensive performance of the season.
• Lister (19), Ortwein (16), and Leonard (11) all scored in double figures.
• Leonard's 11 points is a season high for the center. 

POST GAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH SHARAY HALL

• On the turnaround from the team: "They see it, which is crazy it took all year but, I just feel like the girls finally found a way to play together. Everybody knew that we had the tools and pieces to be successful, it was just a matter of putting it together, and we're doing that now."
• On the toughness and hard play: "We had our struggles early in the season, our record wasn't great and people weren't taking us serious, so we had to play hard in order to give ourselves a chance and we've done that."
• On Brenna Ortwein's offensive spark: "She's had it in her all year we just needed her to find her niche, and today it all came together for her. She was taking shots and looked comfortable taking them. She's a great talent."

UP NEXT

• Millersville will prepare for a rematch with Shippensburg on Monday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders defeated the Raiders less than a week ago, 61-42 in Shippensburg, Pa. .