MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Millersville women's basketball put on a show for its home crowd Wednesday night, taking down No. 21 (D2SIDA) ranked Kutztown, 63-60. The Golden Bears currently sit at the top of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East standings and are ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic Region.

The start of the game was all Kutztown, as Abbey Hearn scored 10 consecutive points to get the nationally ranked Golden Bears rolling. Marauder freshman, Makiah Shaw would respond to Hearn's fast start with one of her own, drilling three mid-range jumpers to pull the Marauders back into the game early. Kutztown would end the first quarter on a 9-3 run and take a 21-11 lead going into second-quarter play.

Millersville flipped the script in the second, outscoring Kutztown 16-6, including an 8-0 run midway through the quarter and forcing 11 of the Golden Bears' 23 total turnovers. The two teams would go into the half locked at 27.

Lauren Lister came alive in the third quarter, scoring seven of her nine points, including a steal and layup with less than 10 seconds remaining to put the Marauders up five heading into the fourth.  

'Ville was able to build an eight-point lead heading into the final 1:24 of play, but Kutztown didn't go away quietly. KU Forward, Naia Pulliam scored with a minute remaining to pull her team within six; the Golden Bears then quickly fouled Lister to stop the clock. Lister missed both ends of the double-bonus which allowed Kutztown to cut the game down to one possession with a three-point make, which Rylee Derr was able to deliver with just 25 seconds left. Kutztown fouled again to conserve time which resulted in Ty Taylor going one-for-one from the line, putting Millersville up four. Pulliam then drained a deep three to cut the Marauder lead to one before fouling Erika Reed with just six seconds remaining in regulation. Reed knocked down both free throws, putting 'Ville up 63-60 and setting up a KU three-point attempt to tie the game. The Marauder defense was able to disrupt the Golden Bears' final play, leading to the ball ending up in the hands of Annie Whalen for a last-second heave that fell short.  

This was the Marauders' first victory over a ranked opponent since December 21, 2019, when they defeated No. 9 Cal U at home.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Marauders held the edge in points off turnovers (28-11), bench points (24-3), and fast break points (12-2).
• The Golden Bears held the edge in points in the paint, 30-18.
• The Marauders forced 23 Kutztown turnovers.
• Millersville finished the game shooting 32.4% from the floor, 19% from beyond the arch, and 65.2% from the free-throw line. They shot a team-high 47.06% in the second quarter.
• Brenna Ortwein grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the upset victory.
• Ortwein also led the team in assists with five, which ties her career high.
• Shaw scored a career-high 16 points, while Taylor scored a season-high 12 points. Mia Leonard scored in double-digits for the third straight game.

POST GAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH SHARAY HALL

• On the team's defensive performance play: "We knew that Kutztown was a very efficient shooting team from the three-point line, so we made it a point of emphasis to guard the line and contain them off the dribble and I feel we did a very good job at that."
• On the play of Makiah Shaw: "Makiah did today what she can do all the time, she is a knockdown, efficient shooter. Today she played with confidence, which was huge for us and I was excited that she kept letting it fly, it obviously contributed towards our win."
• On moving forward: "One game at a time; yes, playoffs is the goal, but everyday we prep for the team we're playing next. Everyday is a grind for us right now and preparation is key."

 
UP NEXT
Millersville will start its three-game road trip at Mansfield this Saturday, Feb. 12. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. at Marion Decker Gymnasium.