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Millersville

Morgan Mahoney

Marauders seek upset of Bald Eagles in Pucillo Gymnasium

1/30/2024 12:22:00 PM

By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
  • Series vs. Lock Haven: 40-38
  • Series Streak: W2
  • First Meeting: W, (No score) (1945-46)
  • Last Meeting: W, 59-56 (Feb. 8, 2023)
  • Last 10 Meetings: 3-7
  • Most ‘Ville Points: 91
  • Record at Home: 19-7
  • Kira Mowen vs. Lock Haven: 0-0
  • Jennifer Smith vs. Millersville: 10-15

ABOUT THE GAME

  • The Millersville Marauders (7-12, 5-8) look to upset the first-place Lock Haven Bald Eagles (18-1, 13-0) when they visit Pucillo Gymnasium Wednesday evening. The contest closes out the first half of the PSAC's Eastern Division schedule. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • Millersville enters hoping to get back to its winning ways from the beginning of the month. After winning four straight games to begin 2024, the Marauders have dropped the next four. Their 5-8 conference record is tied for fourth in the Eastern Division with Mansfield and East Stroudsburg.
  • Halftime scores and the turnover battle have been indicative of the final result for the Marauders this season. The team with the halftime advantage has gone on to win in 16 of the ‘Ville’s 19 games thus far. They have a 5-1 mark when leading at half and a 2-11 mark when trailing. The turnover margin has been crucially important throughout the 2023-24 campaign, as they are 4-0 when winning that battle and 3-12 when failing to do so. They are also 5-0 when scoring more points off of turnovers than their opponent and just 2-12 when their opponent wins that battle.
  • Another statistic that has been predictive is field goal percentage: they have not won a conference game without outshooting their opponents from the field. Millersville is 5-1 when recording a higher mark from the floor than their foes. Its record when the opposite is true is 0-7.
  • Makiah Shaw has been the ‘Ville’s leading scorer for most of the season and has gone to another level over the past six games. She's reached double digits in five those games and is averaging 15.5 points per game. This stretched has raised her season average to 12.7 points per game, good for twenty-first in the conference. Shaw has also been doing work on the glass all season, as the forward has tallied a rebound in every game. She's also recorded an assist in eight straight contests, a career best. 
  • Forward Jillian Crawford has put together the best stretch of her young career over the past four contests. The sophomore has reached double figures in points in all four games and is averaging 12 points per contest over this stretch. Crawford has been the team's primary three-point threat this season and leads the team in three-pointers made with 15. 
  • After seeing her streak of 36 consecutive games with a rebound snapped against East Stroudsburg on Jan. 27, Brenna Ortwein responded with her second double digit rebounding effort of the 23-24 campaign. The junior grabbed 10 misses to raise her team-leading rebounding average to 5.6 per contest. She's wreaked havoc on the defensive end this season, evidenced by her team-best 1.7 steals per game. That mark is tied for twelfth in the conference. 

SCOUTING THE BALD EAGLES

  • Lock Haven enters on quite the hot streak. The Bald Eagles were tabbed as the No. 16 team in the nation in last week's NCAA DII D2CSC National Poll, their first national ranking in program history. After dropping their first game of the season they have won 18 in a row, a program record. With a win, head coach Jenn Smith would become the program's leader in wins. Doing so in Pucillo Gymnasium would be even more notable, as she graduated from Millersville in 2002.
  • Despite their outstanding record, Lock Haven presents itself as a middling offensive team. Rather, it is the defensive side of the ball where the Bald Eagles have shined most this season. They're top six in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (third), blocked shots per game (second) and steals per game (sixth). 
  • That stout defense centers around sophomore forward Alana Robinson, who is the only player in the PSAC averaging more than two blocks per game (2.6). She's also tied for seventh in the conference in steals per game at 2.0. The sophomore has been a force on the offensive side of the ball as well, as she's twelfth in the conference in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Her 50.4% field goal mark is fourth in the conference as well.
  • Robinson's averages in scoring and steals are second on her own team; Jenadia Jordan holds the narrow edge with 16.1 points per game and 2.1 steals per game. Jordan's marks in those categories are eighth and fifth, respectively. 

SERIES HISTORY

  • The rivalry between these two program has had three distinct eras: pre-1980, 1980-2017 and 2017-present day. Between the 1945-46 season and the 1978-79 season, the Bald Eagles won 19 of 21 matchups. From 1979 until 2017, Millersville took the upper hand with a 37-10 record. Since then, Lock Haven reclaimed the edge with an 8-3 record. That all balances out to a near-even 40-38 mark for the Marauders against them all-time. 
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