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Millersville

Sophie Elstone

Road calls as Marauders seek fifth straight win

| By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
  • Series vs. Mansfield: 72-6
  • Series Streak: W2
  • First Meeting: W, 72-46 (1981-82)
  • Last Meeting: W, 72-65 (Feb. 25, 2023)
  • Last 10 Meetings: 9-1
  • Most ‘Ville Points: 101
  • Record at Mansfield: 31-6
  • Kira Mowen vs. Mansfield: 0-0
  • Amy Senefelder vs. Millersville: 1-3

 

ABOUT THE GAME

  • The Millersville Marauders (7-8, 5-4) travel to Mansfield to play the Mountaineers (7-8, 4-6) looking to build on a four-game winning streak dating back to Jan. 3. The Marauders downed Shepherd 57-51 in a back-and-forth affair their last time out on Jan. 17. The Mounties are coming off of a close 76-70 loss to Shippensburg on the same date. 
  • With its win over Shepherd combined with Kutztown's loss to West Chester on Wednesday evening, Millersville moved into third place in the PSAC East. Mansfield currently sits fifth with Kutztown separating the two teams. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • Millersville enters having defeated four straight PSAC foes since falling to Gannon on Dec. 30. After starting the season with one of the toughest schedules in the conference, including three ranked teams, the slate has softened up of late. Their last three opponents (Bloomsburg, Shippensburg and Shepherd) have a combined conference record of 5-24. 
  • The Marauders have taken care of business against these teams. They have achieved a scoring margin of plus 6.7 in this stretch and have a positive margin in every quarter except the third. The defense has been the biggest key to their success, as they're shooting nearly 10 percent better from the field than their opponents (43.4% vs. 33.5%). Even more notable has been the defensive counting stats in this period; they've tallied 5.7 more steals (13.7 vs. 8.0) and two more blocks (5.3 vs. 3.3) per game than the opposition. Notably, they've also committed fewer turnovers as a team than their opponents in each contest, something they did just once in the previous 12 games. That's translated to success this season, as Millersville is undefeated when doing so. 
  • Key to this recent stretch is a trio of Marauders who have taken their offensive games to a new level in 2024. Junior Makiah Shaw led all scorers with 19 points against Shepherd after finishing with 25 against Bloomsburg, one short of her career high. She did so on seven of 10 shooting from the field, raising her field goal percentage in the new year to 55%. Her 12.9 points per game is tops on the team and ranks twenty-first in the PSAC. 
  • La'Shyra Williams has also broken out of late. She's averaging 14.8 points per game on a lofty 65.8% from the field since the calendar turned over to 2024 including a career-high 22 at Shippensburg on Jan. 10. Despite not reaching double-figures last game for the first time in the new year, Williams still made a positive impact on the defensive end.  She set a career-best with 11 rebounds while nabbing three steals and finishing a game-high plus 12. 
  • Jabria Ingram was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season against Gannon on Dec. 30. Over this winning streak she's averaged just shy of a double double with 12.5 points and 8.3 assists. She's also shooting 57.1% from the floor in this timespan. The graduate student has been taking care of the ball as well, with a 2.2 assist to turnover ratio. For the season, Ingram is tops on the Marauders in assists per game at 4.4. That's also good for a third place tie in the entire conference. 
  • Millersville's tenacious defense is spearheaded by Brenna Ortwein, who's averaged three steals per game over the winning streak. For the season, she leads the team in both steals per game (1.9) and rebounds per game (5.3). Ortwein has also recorded a rebound in 33 straight games dating back to last season and a multiple steals in six straight. The junior's steals per game average for the season ranks eighth in the conference.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

  • Mansfield hopes to bounce back from an upset loss to the eighth place Shippensburg Raiders. The Mounties held a seven-point lead entering the fourth but couldn't close the game out down the stretch, resulting in the 75-70 Raider victory. 
  • The loss to Shippensburg was another chapter in the Mountaineer's rollercoaster 2023-24 campaign. They are 3-3 in their last six PSAC games with their signature win of the season coming over No. 21 California (Pa.). The game preceding that was a 21-point loss to Seton Hill, who the Marauders beat to begin their winning streak. Mansfield began the season 4-1 featuring a stretch of three consecutive victories but immediately followed that up with a four-game losing streak. 
  • The Mounties are middle of the pack in just about every team statistic except for three-point shooting and rebounding. They are third in team three-point percentage at 33.3% and have made the fourth most threes in the conference. They are also third in the PSAC in total rebounds per game at 41.5 but 15th in opponent total rebounds per game at 39.1. Interestingly, they have the same turnover margin per game as Millersville at -4.07.
  • Senior forward Jasmine Hilton is a big part of those top of the conference rebounding numbers, as she pulls down 8.9 misses per game, good for fourth in the PSAC. She's recorded five double doubles this season and grabbed 15 rebounds in a game twice. That single-game rebounding mark ties her for the most in a game by any player in the conference this season.
  • Hilton is also a threat on the offensive end, as she's tops on the Mounties in scoring at 16.0 points per contest. She's been a threat from all three levels, evidenced by her 36.5% three-point percentage and 23 made threes. That scoring number places her ninth in the league in points per game. She also won the most recent PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Week award after averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds across two games last week.  
  • Freshman Katie Sheeler is second on the Mounties in scoring at 10.2 points per game and was one of five players to reach double digits against Shippensburg. She does most of her damage from beyond the arc, shooting 36.5% from out there and ranking eighth in the conference in made threes with 31. Her percentage is good for fifth as well. 

SERIES HISTORY

  • Millersville dominates this rivalry like no other. The program enters with an all-time mark of 72-6 against the Mountaineers including a perfect 40-0 record at home. Between Feb 2, 1991 and Feb 9, 2005, the Marauders won 30 straight meetings. From their first matchup in the 1981-82 to that aforementioned date in 2005, they went 44-1. The Marauders have gone on three separate winning streaks of 10 or more games as well. Since 2010, the Mounties have fared a little better, winning three of 27 games in that span. 
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