The Millersville University women’s basketball team stands alone atop the summit of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference for 2004-05.

The Marauders (21-8), behind a 21-point performance from junior guard Danielle Marshall ended California University’s three-year reign with a 76-71 victory over the eighth-ranked (NCAA-II) Vulcans (25-5) Saturday night at Millersville’s Pucillo Gymnasium.

Millersville, which earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament, earned its third conference crown overall, and first since 1987.  It also marked the first league title for Marauder head coach Mary Fleig in her 15-year tenure.

The win was Millersville’s 15^th in a row and established a new modern era record for consecutive triumphs, breaking the previous mark of 14 set in 1999-2000.  California had a 39-game win streak against PSAC Eastern Division opponents ended; the last team to beat Cal was Millersville, 81-56, in January, 2001.  The Marauders snapped a 10-game California win skein entering the contest.

Marshall, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, added six assists and four steals and led four Millersville starters in double figure scoring.

Marauder junior point guard Jayeneca Bailey played a strong floor game with 15 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals.  Senior center Destinne Parker-Stewart (Reading) contributed 17 points (11 in the second half) and six rebounds, and sophomore wing Branden Lippy connected on four, three-point goals and finished with 14 points.

Millersville opened a 15-6 lead early fueled by treys from Bailey and Lippy.  California countered with a 14-4 run keyed by treys from guards Megan Storck and Lisa Gottuso and took a 20-19 lead with nine minutes to play before halftime.

Marshall hit consecutive jumpers to ignite a 13-6 Millersville surge for a six-point Marauder lead.  But the Vulcans battled back to tie the score behind a trey and a conventional three-point play from Gottuso and the game was knotted at 36-all at halftime.

Millersville led 46-44 five minutes into the second half, then embarked on a 15-6 run, keyed by a layup and trey from Lippy and a three-point play by Marshall.  The surge extended MU’s lead to 61-50 with 8:43 remaining.

Storck contributed five straight California points to fuel a 10-3 Vulcan run that pulled the visitors within three, 66-63, with 3:55 to go.

But Millersville countered with seven unanswered points, all at the free throw line and went back up by 10 (73-63) with 1:29 to go.  However, California would not go quietly, as senior All-America guard Sara McKinney (game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds) tallied eight points, including two three-point plays, in a 35-second span, and closed the Cal deficit to 74-71 with 47 seconds to play.

But California would draw no closer, as Bailey hit two foul shots in the waning seconds and the Marauders held on for the victory.

Forward Dani Mills contributed 17 points and eight rebounds for California before fouling out in the final minute.  Gottuso and Storck combined for 21 points and 11 assists in a losing cause.

Millersville shot 46 percent overall from the field (52 percent in the first half) to California’s 38 percent.

With the victory, Millersville evened its record in PSAC championship games at 3-3.  The Marauders won previous title games in 1984 and 1987 and ended a skein of three straight “State Game” setbacks (1988, 2000, 2002).