MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — The Millersville Marauders (9-4, 4-2) started off the new year with a bang, dismantling the visiting Shippensburg Raiders (5-7, 2-4) 87-45 behind the hot shooting of Kali March and Makiah Shaw. March led all scorers with 19 points while dishing out five errorless assists and Shaw finished with 16 points on just nine shots.
 
It was an emphasis to get the ball to Shaw from the start, as she tallied 12 points in the first quarter alone. The first two buckets of the game were plays in which Shaw sealed off her defender in the post, received the pass, and converted the easy two. Head coach Kira Mowen said that getting their second-leading scorer going was part of Millersville's gameplan.
 
"I've got to find ways to get and keep Kaiah involved," Mowen explained. "The first half of the season, she's kind of been here for games, not been here for some games. She needs to be a big part of our team's offense as we move forward."
 
The other offensive pillar throughout the game was March, who took 12 threes and made five, which were both season highs. Much of the team's offense revolved around setting screens for their March, Sophia Elstone and Jillian Crawford, something that Mowen also acknowledged postgame.
 
"Within the flow of our offense, no matter if it's Kali (March), Kaia (Shaw), Brenna (Brenna Ortwein) or Sophie (Elstone), we need to get each other open," Mowen said. "And getting each other open involves us setting screens and distributing the ball perfectly. Some of our offensive flows and new looks kind of do just that. They allow us to set screens to get our players open."
 
It was something that had plagued the Marauders in their two losses before the new year, in which they shot a combined 6-for-21 from three. Against the Raiders, that mark improved to a crisp 44%, as the team finished 11-for-25 from beyond the arc; that's the most threes the Marauders have made and taken in the year and a half of Kira Mowen's tenure. Their previous high for makes was just seven.
 
On the other end of the floor, it was a season-best performance as well. The Raiders shot just 25% from the field highlighted by a 1-for-12 second quarter that ended with the Marauders holding a 45-18 lead. The defensive effort moved the Marauders into third in the country in opponent field goal percentage at 32%. That defense turned into offense as Ortwein and March poached lazy Raider passes and turned them into easy baskets on the other end; Millersville owned the transition battle, scoring 17 points to the opposition's five.
 
Millersville looks to continue the momentum when it heads to Bloomsburg for a date with the Huskies at 5:30 pm on Jan. 8.