Box Score
California, Pa. - Defense wins. It is a cliche, but it was certainly the truth in Friday evening's NCAA Division II Atlantic Region opening round game between Millersville and West Liberty. The Marauders stifled the nation's third-ranked offense, rolling to a 66-50 victory in California's Hamer Hall.
Millersville (24-5) and West Liberty (22-10) couldn't have been more dissimilar in style of play entering the game. The Marauders, ranked No. 2 nationally in defense, held the the Hilltoppers to their lowest point total of the season and hounded them into a season-high 30 turnovers. West Liberty's All-Atlantic Region duo Tori Hansen and Laura Malernee, who averaged 22.5 and 13.9 points per game respectively, were pressured by
Ashley Moyer and the Millersville guards all night and managed just 16 points combined.
It was the first time all season that Hansen had been held under double-figures, and Malernee, the nation's No. 1-ranked 3-point shooter, made only 2-of-8 attempts and the Marauders limited the Hilltoppers to 2-of-16 on threes, including 0-of-5 in the second half.
"We believe in defense," said Millersville head coach
Mary Fleig. "We knew coming into the game there were some match-ups on the perimeter we could take advantage of and we thought our guards could create turnovers."
Millersville shot just 34.8 percent from the field, but that's the norm for a team that is one win away from tying the school record for wins in a season.
Mashira Newman handily won the battle of freshmen point guards over Jenni Robbins, who entered the game leading the nation in assists per game. Newman led Millersville with 11 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three blocks, while Robbins was blanked in the scoring column and committed six turnovers to two assists.
But despite Millersville's outstanding defensive effort, West Liberty stayed close early thanks to a 9-0 run to close the first half. Millersville, however, raced out of the gate in the second period, hitting eight of its first 10 shots including seven in a row during a 13-4 run. A three-point halftime lead turned into a 14-point lead in just under five minutes.
West Liberty closed the gap to six using the inside scoring of Andi Winney, who scored a game-high 24. But
Gabrielle Styles ended the West Liberty run with a baseline lay-up, sparking a 9-2 run that was capped when she scored on spinning post move. The Marauders continued to pull away, holding the Hilltoppers to just four points over the final 7:21.
Along with playing stellar defense, Moyer contributed nine points, two steals and a block.
Aiesha Bellamy and
Emily Balogh also gave the Marauders a lift off the bench, scoring nine and 10 respectively.
"It was key having seniors that have been here and played in three NCAA Tournament games," said Fleig. "Ashley did a great job of calming some of our younger players and getting people in the right position."
Jenna Craig also turned in a strong post game, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds, and two steals. It was also her inside defense late that limited Linney in the final seven minutes.
The Millersville senior class has won 89 games in four seasons, but it was its first tournament win in three trips. The group needs two more wins to become the winningest senior class in school history. To have a shot at that record, the Marauders will need to get by California (Pa.) in tomorrow's Atlantic Regional quarterfinal match-up. The Marauders edged Cal 53-52 in Hamer Hall earlier this year.
Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action on MSBN.
