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EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University will makes its first appearance in the PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament since 2008 when the Warriors head to Millersville for their first-round game on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the PSAC quarterfinals and a match-up with No. 2 seed Shippensburg on Tuesday at 7 p.m. In the other half of the PSAC East bracket, No. 1 Bloomsburg awaits the winner of No. 4 Kutztown and No. 5 West Chester.
The PSAC West has No. 1 seed Gannon and No. 2 Edinboro. No. 3 IUP hosts Mercyhurst and No. 4 California hosts Clarion in the two first-round games.
The highest remaining seed in the PSAC East after Tuesday's quarterfinals will host the PSAC Final Four on March 8-9.
ESU (7-19, 6-16) secured the No. 6 seed in the PSAC East with a 67-39 win over Mansfield on February 13. The Warriors have lost their last four games, all to playoff-bound teams, before heading back to Millersville this weekend.
ESU's last two PSAC Tournament appearances have come at Millersville as well. In 2008, the fourth-seeded Warriors lost 66-51 at top-seeded Millersville in the quarterfinals, and in 2007, the Warriors fell to California in the semifinals at Pucillo Gymnasium.
This marks the first year that the PSAC has expanded the playoff field to 12 teams. The top six of the eight teams in each division advanced to the postseason. ESU was fifth in the PSAC East last year at 11-15 (8-14), three games out of the fourth and final playoff spot.
Millersville won both regular season meetings, 76-47 at Pucillo on February 20, and 69-55 at ESU's Koehler Fieldhouse on January 23.
ESU is led by sophomore forward
Jessica Martin, the reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Year, who leads the Warriors with 11.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. She ranks third in the PSAC in blocks and sixth in rebounds this season.
Junior guard
Andrea Veres is averaging 9.2 points per game, followed by sophomore guard
Ryann Fiascki (8.2) and senior forward
Fayola Moise (6.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg). Freshman guard
Helena Gemmell rounds out the starting five, averaging 4.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and ranking third in the PSAC with 2.6 steals per game.
The Warriors have 13 players who have appeared in at least 19 of their 26 games this season. Senior guard
Barb Borst is the top bench scorer, averaging 4.9 points per game, and is third in school history with 122 career three-pointers. Freshman center
Michelle Boggs (3.9 points, 4.4 rebounds) is ninth in the PSAC with 1.2 blocks per game and junior guard
Halie Cintron is averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Other contributors are sophomore forward
Kelsey Murray (2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds), redshirt sophomore guard
Steph Cabald (2.2 points), freshman guard
Melissa Poderis (1.7 ppg), freshman guard
Tyeca Reviere (1.5 ppg) and junior forward
DeAnna Brown (1.3 ppg).
ESU is in the top half of the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (37.4), ranking seventh in the conference and fifth in the PSAC East.
Millersville is led by a pair of returning All-PSAC seniors in guard Mashira Newman and forward Aurielle Mosley. Mosley is second in the PSAC in scoring (15.7 ppg), third in rebounding (9.5) and third in blocks (2.3), while Newman is 12th in scoring (12.4 ppg), third in assists (5.9), first in steals (3.7) and also averages 6.0 rebounds.
The Marauders are second in the PSAC in scoring offense (71.2 ppg) and second in field goal percentage defense (34.8). They also lead the conference in offensive rebounding (18.2 per game), rank third in rebounding margin (+5.1) and second in turnovers forced (23.6).
This is ESU's 12th appearance in the PSAC Tournament since 1981. The Warriors are 6-10 in their previous 11 trips and won the 1994-95 PSAC championship, the only conference title in school history.
Millersville is in the PSAC Tournament for the 17th straight year (since 1996-97) and has won titles in 1983-84, 1986-87 and 2004-05. The Marauders advanced to the semifinals in eight of the last 10 seasons.
