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Millersville

WBB Bench Celebration
2024 Sophia Stempinski

PSAC's top defenses meet as Marauders welcome No. 17 IUP

12/20/2024 7:00:00 AM

By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

COVERAGE LINKS

  • Series vs. Indiana(Pa.): 12-26
  • Series Streak: L3
  • First Meeting: L, 59-66 (1976-77)
  • Last Meeting: L, 62-80 (Dec. 30, 2022)
  • Last 10 Meetings: 3-7
  • Most ‘Ville Points: 89
  • Record in Millersville: 3-8
  • Kira Mowen vs. IUP: 0-0
  • Craig Carey vs. Millersville: 1-0

 

ABOUT THE GAME

  • The Millersville Marauders (8-3, 3-1) host the No. 17 Indiana (Pa.) (9-1, 5-0) Crimson Hawks in the Marauder's final Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover matchup of the season. It is also their final game of the calendar year, with their next contest coming on Jan. 3 against Shippensburg. The Marauders are on the tail end of a brutal eight-game stretch in which they've faced four teams that have been nationally ranked at some point this season, (Cal U, Seton Hill, Jefferson and IUP) and five of those eight have been regionally ranked (the aforementioned four and Clarion).

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • Millersville is coming off a 61-53 defeat at the hands of Clarion on Dec. 17. The Marauders struggled against the Golden Eagles' physicality in the first half and adjusted in the second but couldn't overcome a 10-point halftime deficit to pull off the comeback. Despite the loss, they held Clarion to just 31.1% from the field; that represents the ninth straight time that Millersville has held the opposition to less than 36% on field goals. 
  • Head coach Kira Mowen is looking for her first victory against a ranked opponent, as she's 0-7 against ranked foes over her first two seasons. The Marauders came within one point of doing just that against then-ranked No. 11 Seton Hill on Dec. 6, but fell 63-62 in a wild finish.
  • The Marauders have not allowed a PSAC opponent to shoot better than 32% in a game this season. That performance moved them into first in the PSAC in opponent field goal percentage at 32%, which ranks seventh in Division II. 
  • Key to Marauder victories this season has been dominating the paint. The hosts are 8-0 when winning the points in the paint battle and 0-3 when they lose or match the opposition in that category. Another crucial category for the Marauders is holding their opponents below 60 points, as they are 6-0 when doing so. They also sport a pristine 6-0 mark when tallying more second-chance points than their foes. 
  • The active hands of Brenna Ortwein, Kali March and Bryn Zentner will be even more important against IUP's stout defense. When the offense gets stuck in the mud, the pair of Ortwein and March has been excellent at generating live ball turnovers and converting them into quality attempts on the fast break. That was especially true against Clarion, as Ortwein nabbed a season-high six steals while March had four. Zentner is third on the team in steals per game at 1.3 despite averaging only 15.6 minutes per game. 
  • The team's paint defense has been led by post players Morgan Mahoney and Makiah Shaw, who are first and second on the team in blocks per game at 1.6 and .8, respectively. Mahoney had a fine all-around game against Clarion, finishing second on the team in points with 10 points while grabbing six rebounds and nabbing a steal, all without a turnover. She did an excellent job anchoring the team's defense and swatted three shots to add to her team-high average of 1.6 blocks per game; that ranks second in the entire conference. 

SCOUTING THE NO. 17 CRIMSON HAWKS

  • IUP has been one of the hottest teams in the country to begin 2024-25, winning its first 9 contests and dismantling traditional PSAC East powerhouse West Chester (69-53 on Dec. 7) and last year's conference champion runner-up Lock Haven (67-50 on Nov. 23) along the way. They come into this meeting with the Marauders looking to avenge their first loss of the season after falling 68-54 at Ashland on Dec. 19. 
  • The defensive gameplan against the Hawks is very similar to the one that Clarion deployed against Millersville: pack the paint and force them to shoot from outside. IUP is second in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 46% but 14th of 17 teams in three-pointers attempted with 145 on the season. Their most prolific outside shooter is Shamia Strayhorn, who is averaging about four threes attempted per game. She's also second on the team in points per game with an average of 13.6.
  • The Crimson Hawks' ascension into the ranks of Division II's basketball elite has coincided with a junior-year leap in the play of forward Nyshae' Weaver; Weaver is averaging a double-double with 15.2 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game, both of which rank among the top 10 in the PSAC. She's canning those 15.2 PPG on an outstanding 67.7% from the field but is not a threat from beyond the arc, so slowing her down in the paint will be a top priority for the Marauders.
  • Marauder fans may recognize a familiar name on the roster in junior Marin Miller, who spent her first two seasons with Millersville before transferring to IUP. The three-point marksman is averaging 18 minutes per game and has played in all 10 contests for the Crimson Hawks thus far.

SERIES HISTORY

  • It will be Kira Mowen's first crack at the Crimson Hawks, as the last time these two teams met was on Dec. 30, 2022. That went in IUP's favor, as much of the series' history has; Millersville is just 12-26 all-time against the Hawks with a record of 3-7 over their last 10 meetings. The outstanding Crimson Hawk defense has been a constant over the years, as Millersville has never topped 80 points in a regulation game against them. That 2022 contest was the first time in five years that IUP was not nationally ranked when the teams met. 

PSAC Roundup & Standings

  • Millersville retains the top spot in the East Division with a record of 3-1, as the West has dominated PSAC Crossover play this season. The East has just two teams at or above .500 entering the last few inter-division games in the 'Ville and Lock Haven (2-2). In stark contrast, the West features four teams with perfect 5-0 conference marks and just one team below .500 (Pitt-Johnstown, 0-5). That Western dominance has led three West teams to be nationally ranked by College Sports Communicators (No. 5 Seton Hill, No. 11 Gannon and No.17 IUP) and represent five of the top 10 spots in the latest Atlantic Regional Rankings (those three as well as Edinboro and Clarion). 
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