Millersville, Pa. -- The Millersville Marauders dropped their first game of 2018 as the West Chester Golden Rams won a pivotal divisional match up and snapped Millersville's two-game winning streak.

The first quarter began with both Millersville and West Chester shooting well from range. However, it was the Marauders who cooled off first, and the Golden Rams put together a deflating 14-0 run to close out the first quarter. Millersville remained patient, and, as the Golden Rams started struggling from outside, the Marauders started grinding out a run of their own. An 11-0 run with all the points coming from the paint or the free throw line earned the Marauders a lead. The half ended with eight lead changes as both teams traded made-baskets until the buzzer rang with Millersville leading West Chester 37-36.

Three-point shots made a big difference during the second half as the Golden Rams shot above 45 percent while making twice as many three pointers as Millersville to hold a tight lead. West Chester's three point shot negated Millersville's own strong shooting as the Marauders shot 50 percent from the field late into the fourth quarter. Millersville held a lead three minutes into the fourth quarter before West Chester tied the game up 62-62. After tying the game, the Golden Rams started a 14-7 run in the final six minutes of the game that ended Millersville's aspirations for a three game winning streak.

Beside the three point shot, West Chester was able to capitalize on Millersville's lapses as they forced the Marauders into 16 turnovers and scored 19 points off the turnovers. Maybe the biggest discrepancy that lead to Millersville's loss was at the free throw line. West Chester shot 20-24 from the charity stripe while Millersville struggled and made only 11 of 19 from the free throw line. Those eight missed free throws alone would have yielded a one-point victory for Millersville.

Millersville shot well from the field as the starters lead the way. Redshirt junior Kendra Bamberger lead the team with 19 points while shooting 46 percent from the field. Sophomore Courtney Dimoff hit double figures for the fourth straight game as she shot 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from the three point line. Senior Alayah Hall played every minute of the game as she scored 15 points. Hall has scored in double-digits in 10 of Millersville's 11 games this season. Redshirt junior Janelle Robinson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points on 50 percent shooting. Robinson was effective on both sides of the court as she snagged seven rebounds and picked West Chester's pockets four times.

The Marauders fall to 5-6 and 2-5 in the PSAC while West Chester widened their position in the PSAC East. Millersville will try to turn things around on Jan.6 when they head to Shippensburg who currently ranks last in the PSAC East.