PREVIEW: Marauders hoping to bounce back against a strong PSAC Contender in the Golden Bears

Wednesday, January 21

Millersville, PA

5:30 PM

Millersville University

Kutztown

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PREVIEW: Marauders hoping to bounce back against a strong PSAC Contender in the Golden Bears

1/20/2026 2:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Dane Sabarese, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

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ABOUT THE GAME

After a tough 31-point loss to Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon, the Marauders are well rested and ready to bounce back in a great test of skill against Kutztown University. The Marauders were coming off a stretch of five games in nine days, and after three days of recovery and preparation, things are trending upwards for the Marauders. In those five games, Millersville found a way to go 4-1 and, after what was starting to look like a rough season, have themselves right back in playoff contention with an 8-8 overall record and after being winless in the PSAC going into eastern conference play, find themselves with four conference wins and six losses. For the Golden Bears, this season couldn't be more different than that of the Marauders, Kutztown is out to a hot 10-6 start and sits second in the PSAC East rankings only behind Lock Haven. Kutztown is on a three game win streak with wins over West Chester, Shippensburg, and Bloomsburg but also lost by a wide margin to Lock Haven just two weeks ago. Kutztown also has a close loss to Jefferson on its record, a very strong team that the Marauders were able to get the best of in the early parts of the season. This one could be an early indicator of what PSAC East playoff basketball could look like down the stretch as the Marauders, who currently sit at the six seed, look to climb the rankings against a beatable Golden Bears squad.

Party in Pucillo ??

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??: Pucillo Gymnasium
?: 5:30pm
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— Millersville Marauders (@VilleMarauders) January 21, 2026

GAME STORYLINES

Millersville comes into this game with a chip on its shoulder after taking a tough loss to the number one seeded team in the PSAC East, Lock Haven. Meanwhile the Golden Bears come into Pucillo with some gritty fought out wins stacking up over the last three games. While the difference from the two seed to the six seed is noticeable on paper, this one could be gearing up to be a close narrow victory that could go either way.
Freshman point guard, Daniella Ranieli, has been on fire since the new year kicked off, not having been held to under double-digits in scoring since January 2, in a very forgettable loss against Pitt-Johnstown. Ranieli has been averaging 16.3 points through the month of January and has carved out her role in this Millersville offesne. She is also getting it done on the defensive side of the ball having three steals in the last three Marauder outings and five against Mansfield. Ranieli's splits for the month of January have been very impressive: 16.3 points per game, 3.1 assists per game, and 2.6 steals per game on 44.4% from the field and 50.2 from beyond the arc.
In tandem with Ranieli has been a variety of Maraduers, but the most notable since returning from injury has been Bryn Zentner who is averaging 10.8 points per game with 5.0 rebounds per game. Kelly Cleaver also makes a huge impact on the court for the Marauders averagin 6.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.
The impact of the young players for the Marauders is promising, but we are starting to see many of them develop right before our eyes with Carley Berk being a great scoring option off the bench for the Marauders. She is third on the team in leading scoring and is a reliable threat on the offensive side of the ball.
Kutztown averages about 61.6 points per game, but it comes from a host of different Golden Bears and everyone on the floor is a scoring option. Where Kutztown hangs their hat is on the defensive side of the ball where they are only conceding on average 54.2 points to opponents. Much has been the story of their last couple of outings that resulted in wins. They beat West Chester 49-46, Shippensburg 64-54, and then held Bloomsburg to their second lowest point total all year with 34 points.
Kutztown is coming off a game where they didn't play their best and still came out with a victory so anything is on the table in this one against the Marauders.

SERIES HISTORY

Millersville and Kutztown square off for the 95th time in a long-standing series, with the Marauders holding a 63–31 (.670) advantage all-time against the Golden Bears. Millersville has been especially dominant at home, boasting a 35–9 record inside Pucillo Gymnasium, while also finding success on the road with a 23–20 mark away from home. The Marauders have controlled the matchup in conference play as well, owning a 50–28 edge, and have been strong in postseason meetings with a 4–1 record. Despite dropping the last two contests in the series, Millersville looks to lean on its history and home-court success as it aims to regain momentum and extend its advantage in what could be an early look into PSAC Postseason play.