Box Score California, Pa. – If last year's loss to California (Pa.) in overtime was tough, this game was just as difficult for Millersville to swallow as the Marauders dropped a 67-64 decision on the road at the Convocation Center Friday night. Miesha Cousins posted a career-high 16 points in the defeat.
 
Millersville had two shots to tie the game in the waning seconds, but one Senada Mehmedovic 3-pointer fell short and the second one was long off the glass, and the Vulcans escaped with a win on their home floor. After trailing by 12 early on, the Marauders' comeback bid fell short in their second-to-last PSAC West game of the season.
 
The loss drops Millersville to 8-4 (5-3 PSAC) and is the first time the team has lost consecutive games in 2012-13. Cousins' career-high came with eight rebounds and tied a game-high with teammate Aurielle Mosley, who poured in 16 of her own on 7-of-11 shooting. The senior forward pulled down four rebounds, but was not able to block a shot for the first time this season.
 
After the first few minutes where the teams alternated leads, Cal pulled away from the Marauders, exploding to the largest lead of the game by either team at 12 (24-12) with 10:48 to play in the first half. Millersville was able to pull to within two at halftime, however, closing the first period on a 19-9 run. Mehmedovic got hot in that stretch, hitting for all eight of her points during that spurt on two 3-pointers and another long jumper.
 
Coming out of the locker rooms, the Marauders continued their scoring onslaught, going on a 16-9 sprint to grab their largest lead of the game at 47-42. Cal was not going to be outdone on its home floor, scoring the next six points of the game to claim a one-point edge. From there, the game saw seven ties and the lead change four different times.
 
The last time the Marauders saw the lead was with 1:18 to play on a Mashira Newman 3-pointer with the shot clock running out. Millersville's senior point guard had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists to go along with three steals and a block. After Newman's triple, Cal responded with a three of its own to knot the game at 64 and scored the final three points on three last-minute free throws, two by Emma Mahady and one by Ryah Gadson.
 
Entering Friday's game, Millersville hadn't lost when out-rebounding its opponents this season. That streak came to an end, as the Marauders won the battle on the glass, pulling down 42 misses to just 33 for the Vulcans. But free throw shooting was again a hurdle Millersville couldn't clear, as the team shot just 58.3 percent from the line compared to 76.9 for home-standing Cal.
 
One other player that was strong in defeat for Millersville was Carly Gallagher, who just missed a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down a career-high nine rebounds. The East Stroudsburg native added four assists and two steals.
 
The Marauders, however, just couldn't overcome the depth of the Vulcans, as four players scored in double figures and six players scored at least eight points. Cal held the edge in bench points, posting a 26-8 advantage in that category. Millersville's eight bench points all came from Mehmedovic's hot streak in the first half and the road team's second unit couldn't manage any points after intermission.
 
The back end of the final West road trip for Millersville doesn't get any easier. Tomorrow's date with Indiana (Pa.) sees the Crimson Hawks enter as the 16^th-ranked team nationally and fresh off a 74-71 win over Shippensburg. IUP holds a 19-11 lead in the all-time series with Millersville, but the Marauders have captured two of the past three meetings, including last year, when Gallagher sank a game-winning three at the buzzer to give Millersville a 58-55 win.