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EAST STROUDSBURG – Sophomore guard
Noelle Powell had 20 points, including five 3-pointers, and senior guard
Madison Tamburini added 14 points as East Stroudsburg University never trailed in a 82-53 victory over Millersville in a PSAC quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday night.
The Warriors (19-8) advance to play California in the semifinals at Shippensburg at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Vulcans (27-2), ranked No. 5 nationally and the No. 1 seed in the West bracket, edged Edinboro by a 64-61 final in their quarterfinal.
ESU forced a season-high 31 turnovers in tonight's victory, with 22 of those occurring in the first half. The Warriors used a 21-0 run, spanning from the final seconds of the opening quarter until the 2:12 mark of the second, to put the game out of reach.
The lead was 11-8 after the opening 10 minutes. ESU scored the first 19 points of the second quarter to up that advantage to 30-8 before Millersville (10-19) netted its first points of the frame on an Aunjel Van Brakle layup. Nine of those 19 points came from Powell, while senior forward
Allison Howard and freshman guard
Jordan Hertz had four points apiece.
Leading 32-13 at halftime, the Warriors outscored the Marauders by a 29-19 margin in the third to put the game out of reach. The 29 points were tied for their most in a quarter this season.
Powell finished the game 7 for 12 from the field and 5 for 9 from 3-point range to record her fifth 20+ point game of 2016-17. She now has 60 made 3-pointers this season, three behind Maryellen Onofre for the most in ESU single-season history. The Glen Mills, Pa., native also dished out a game-high five assists and she added three steals defensively.
Tamburini's 14 points were four shy of her season-high. She finished 5 for 12 from the field with a pair of steals. The Warriors had 15 steals overall in the game, led by four from sophomore guard
Ann McKnight. They had a 32-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
Howard chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds to reach double figures for a 20th time in 23 games this season. She was 4 for 6 from the free throw line, and the home side finished 15 for 18 (83.3%) from the charity stripe as a whole.
Alayah Hall led Millersville with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Van Brakle totaled 10 points and 10 rebounds.
ESU advances to the semifinals for the first time since the 2006-07 season. That squad finished 25-4 on the year before falling 59-52 to California in the semis. The Warriors will have a chance to avenge that loss on Saturday.
Host Shippensburg, the No. 1 seed in the East, will take on West No. 2 IUP at 3:30 p.m. in the other semifinal. The Raiders topped Bloomsburg by a 60-44 margin on Wednesday, while the Crimson Hawks handled Mercyhurst, 78-61.