MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — Morgan Mahoney returned to the Marauder's starting lineup with a bang, tallying 17 points, four blocks and three steals to lead Millersville to a 71–56 victory over the Mansfield Mountaineers. The hosts held the Mounties to just 26.9% from the field in what was one of their most complete defensive efforts of the season.

"We felt like going into this game that we needed to get back to who we were after the two tough losses to East and Kutztown," Millersville head coach Kira Mowen said postgame. "There's obviously some frustration and a strong desire to win. We put in a lot of effort in practice, one through 13, so to get in this morning, get a good win against Mansfield and sweep them for the year, that felt great."

That's the sixth time this version of the 'Ville has kept an opponent below 30% from the field. For the season, they have a mark of 33.7% overall, which ranks in the top five in Division II. Mahoney, who returned to the starting lineup after a brief time coming off the bench, was pivotal to their success in this game. On one possession, the senior six-footer swatted two shots; on others, she acted as a deterrent for Mansfield players looking to attack the basket and prevented an attempt altogether.

Kali March turned in an efficient performance as well; the graduate student poured in 13 points and manufactured six assists while turning the ball over just once. March was one of a few players to receive a longer rest on the bench in this game than she had in the past. That was partly because of how the reserves played once they got into the game, Mowen said postgame.

"I had great subs off the bench," the Marauders' head coach said. "I thought they did a tremendous job of keeping up that pace and keeping that cushion for us. We had some different rotations and were able to get some fresh legs in there; they got some great work in and gave great effort. I couldn't be more proud of them today."

March, Makiah Shaw and Rhyan Mitchell excelled in the fastbreak following defensive stops or live-ball turnovers. March was the quarterback, distributing the ball up the court where it needed to go. Shaw and Mitchell were the receivers, running downcourt, catching the pass, and converting the quality attempt. The Marauders only had eight total points in transition, but the aggressiveness which with they played led the Mansfield defense to scramble and break down later in the shot clock.

"You can hear me yelling it out there when we get three straight stops," Mowen said postgame. "Defense to offense is what we need to go by.  We're still trying to keep up as one of the best defending teams in our conference because I do believe we can shut people down."

It's Millersville's 43rd straight victory at home over the Mountaineers; Mansfield has never beaten the Marauders in Pucillo Gymnasium dating back to the rivalry's beginning during the 1981-82 season.

Millersville continues its homestand on Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m. against Bloomsburg.