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Millersville

Bryn Zentner

Pursuit of home PSAC Tournament contest continues against Bloomsburg

2/18/2025 7:00:00 PM

By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

COVERAGE LINKS

  • Series vs. Bloomsburg: 46–48
  • Series Streak: L2
  • First Meeting: W, 47–27 (1971–72)
  • Last Meeting: L, 51–73 (Jan. 8, 2025)
  • Last 10 Meetings: 4–6
  • Most ‘Ville Points: 96
  • Record at home: 28–18
  • Kira Mowen vs. Bloomsburg: 1–2
  • Alison Tagliaferri vs. Millersville: 11–12

ABOUT THE GAME

  • The Millersville Marauders (13–10, 8–8) take aim at the Bloomsburg Huskies (15–10, 9–9) looking to secure back-to-back victories after trouncing Mansfield last Saturday.  The Marauders have already secured a berth in the PSAC Tournament with a 9–8 conference record and hope to host a first-round playoff game in Pucillo Gymnasium. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • With a decisive 71–56 win over Mansfield on Feb. 15, the third-place Marauders have already earned a spot in the PSAC Playoff Tournament. What lies ahead is a push to secure home court advantage throughout the East side of the bracket. Morgan Mahoney had her best game of the season against the Mountaineers, tallying a team-high 17 points and recording four blocks as well as three steals. That performance vaulted her to fourth in the PSAC in blocks per game with 1.5. Teammate Brenna Ortwein also nabbed three steals against Mansfield, something that she's been doing all year; Ortwein is fifth in the conference in steals per contest at 2.4. A team-wide commitment to excellence, physicality and tenacity on the defensive end has been apparent all season and the numbers reflect that; Millersville is fifth of 290 teams in Division II in opponent field goal percentage at 33.7%.
  • Kali March and Makiah Shaw are the Marauders' leaders on the offensive end, leading the team in scoring while averaging 13 and 12 points per game. The pair also reached the 1,000-career-point threshold earlier this season and were honored prior to the West Chester game on Jan. 29. March put up 13 points and six assists against Mansfield while Shaw's riding a hot streak dating back nearly a month; The senior's had 10 or more points in seven of the last eight games including a career-high 29 against East Stroudsburg on Feb. 8. That performance earned her the PSAC East's Athlete of the Week award.
  • In the first meeting between Millersville and Bloomsburg, the Marauders won the turnover battle and did a great job of taking care of the ball. Despite that, the Huskies emerged with a relatively easy 73–51 win on Jan. 8. What the hosts need to do this time that they did not do (or struggled in doing) last time is defend the perimeter and close out hard on shooters. Bloomsburg shot an astonishing 12-of-21 from three-point territory in their home gymnasium, a 57.1% mark. The numbers would suggest a return to earth in this game is likely: that was the  highest 3pt% by any Marauder opponent in Kira Mowen's two seasons at the helm by far, and nearly double the Huskies' season mark of 30.6%. 

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

  • Bloomsburg has scuffled in the month of February after going 7–2 in January. The Huskies are just 1–3 over their last four games including losses to bottom-dwelling teams like Mansfield (60–62 on Feb. 5) and Shepherd (53–56 on Feb. 8), but the struggles may not be as pronounced as that record displays since their three losses were by a combined six points. Because of that, the Marauders may have the emotional edge over a team that's lost three heartbreakers in the span of two weeks. 
  • In her final season in the crimson and white, forward Katie Starr has been as productive as ever. She's averaging the ninth most points per game in the conference at 15.5 while pouring it in at the third-highest rate (58.1% from the field). The senior has been especially prolific over her last six games, having reached double-digits in all six and tallying at least 20 points in four. Starr also gets it done in the rebounding game, as she's averaging 7.3 rebounds per game which puts her eighth in the PSAC. 
  • The only other player to start all 25 games for the Huskies is senior point guard Ella Kale, who rarely leaves the floor; the PSAC's current leader in assists per game at 4.8 is the only Husky to average more than 29 minutes per contest (33.4). What separates Kale from the rest of the conference is her ability to distribute the ball without turning it over. The diminutive floor general is tops in the league in assist to turnover ratio at 2.0:1; next on the list is over a half an assist behind at 1.4. As a team, Bloomsburg is fourth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio due in part to her efforts. 
  • Something that has plagued the Marauders at times is allowing offensive rebounds. That is much less likely to happen against a Bloomsburg team that is last in the conference in offensive boards per game at 10.1. In comparison, Millersville is seventh at 12.0 per contest. Another thing that has hurt Millersville at various points throughout the season is turnovers; in a similar vein, Bloomsburg is second to last in steals procured per game.

SERIES HISTORY

  • This has been one of the tightest long-standing rivalries in Millersville women's basketball history, but very rarely have both teams been at the top of their respective games at once. It has been a tale of long streaks for both programs at different times over the more than 50 years of competition. The Marauders won nine in a row from 1980-1985 before the Huskies answered right back by going 18-2 over the next 20 matchups. In the 2000's, Millersville held a clear upper hand, winning 18 of 22 contests including a 16-2 span from 2002 to 2009. The Marauders now sit just two games under .500 against the Huskies all-time with a mark of 46–48. 
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