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Millersville

Sophia Elstone

Playoff Preview: Marauders host Golden Rams looking to snap 14-year drought

3/2/2025 4:30:00 PM

By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

COVERAGE LINKS

  • Series vs. West Chester: 48–53
  • Series Streak: L1
  • First Meeting: W, 61–52 (1969–70)
  • Last Meeting: L, 58–76 (Feb. 26, 2025)
  • Last 10 Meetings: 1–9
  • Most ‘Ville Points: 92
  • Record at home: 26–18
  • Playoff record: 2–7
  • Last playoff meeting: L, 61–76 (March 1, 2023)
  • Kira Mowen vs. West Chester: 1–3
  • Kiera Wooden vs. Millersville: 17–3

ABOUT THE GAME

  • Playoff basketball comes to Pucillo Gymnasium as the fourth-seeded Millersville Marauders (16–12, 11–10) welcome the fifth-seeded West Chester Golden Rams (14–14, 11–10) in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Playoff Tournament. The winner of the game will go on to face the top-seeded Kutztown Golden Bears on Wednesday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m.
  • The Marauders are hoping to beat the Golden Rams twice in the same season for the first time since 2011, when they defeated them once during the regular season (81–59 on Jan. 22) and again during the playoff tournament (70–65 on March 1). 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • Millersville has been playing its best basketball of the season over the past few weeks and part of that has been the number of home games it has played; including this contest, the ‘Ville's been at home for six of its last seven games. Of the five home contests already played in that stretch, the Marauders have won three of those by 15 or more points while suffering two single-digit losses against the top two seeds in the division. 
  • Makiah Shaw has been part of the reason in the Marauders' uptick in play over the past month. She's has 10 or more points in eight of her last nine games including an outing with 22 against the Golden Rams on Feb. 26. In that one, Shaw canned those 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field and added two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.  In two games against the Golden Rams this season, Shaw's averaging 18 PPG, 1.5 SPG, 2 BPG, and 73.6% from the field. 
  • Kali March was a driving force in Millersville's 69–61 win over West Chester on Jan. 29, scoring a game-high 21 points and draining three three-pointers. So was Brenna Ortwein, who had 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and just one turnover. That pair reached double-figures in efficient fashion against Shepherd on March 1 and looks to keep that going against the Golden Rams. Ortwein's been a terror in the passing lanes since that Jan. 29 win and is averaging 3.4 SPG in that nine game stretch.
  • There was a stark difference between Millersville's play in their win compared to their loss in this season series. The Marauders held West Chester to 30.4% from the field and shot 47.3% in their win but reversed those splits in the loss with a defensive mark of 46.4% and an offensive mark of 34.7%. West Chester had 12 or more offensive rebounds and Millersville turned it over 18 or more times in both games. 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN RAMS

  • West Chester enters this contest coming off a 57–63 loss to Kutztown on the road. The Golden Rams went down by double digits early in that one and fought to get back into the game before making it a two-possession affair late in the fourth quarter. 
  • The Golden Rams have been a different team when playing on the road this season. At home, they sport an impressive mark of 9–4; away from their home arena, they're just 5–10. Their last road win came nearly a month ago against the Shippensburg Raiders and just two of those road wins have been over teams above .500. 
  • A pair of seniors in Michelle Kozicki and Anna McTamney have powered the Golden Rams' offense all year. A six-foot forward, Kozicki has been one of the most prolific scorers in the PSAC and finished the regular season second in the league in points per game at 20.8. She works mostly inside of the arc but has knocked down 13 threes across 28 games played. She's also one of the most productive glass cleaners in the conference, ranking fourth in the conference in RPG with 10.6. McTamney is a tall (five-foot-10) guard with a good handle and can to her spots almost at will, which has allowed her to average 15.2 points per game this season. She rarely leaves the floor, averaging 35.7 MPG; that mark is good for third in the PSAC.
  • The Golden Rams sport three players in their starting lineup listed at five-foot-10 or taller. The final member of this trio is sophomore six-footer Erin Daley, who's fourth on the team in PPG at 8.6. That group all averages 33 or more minutes, meaning that the Marauders will have to deal with West Chester's size advantage for most of the game. 

SERIES HISTORY

  • This is a playoff renewal of what many consider each program's most prominent rivalry. All-time, West Chester has a slight edge with a 53–48 mark against Millersville but the Marauders hold the upper hand when playing at home (26–18). Since Kiera Wooden took the helm at West Chester 10 seasons ago, she is 17–3 against the Marauders including 2–0 in the playoffs. Millersville is just 2–7 all-time against West Chester in the playoffs; its last playoff win over its rival was in 2011.

PSAC ROUNDUP

  • Elsewhere in the first round of the PSAC Playoff Tournament, Bloomsburg is hosting East Stroudsburg for the right to face Lock Haven in the next round. On the Western side, Clarion visits Seton Hill while IUP hosts California (Pa.); the winner of the former game will face Gannon while the latter will face Edinboro. 
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