MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — Makiah Shaw and Sophie Elstone led the way for the Marauders as they defeated the visiting Goldey-Beacom Lightning 58-49. It was a strong first half that allowed Millersville to capture the non-conference victory.
 
The Marauders went on a 9-2 run from the beginning of the game, spurred on by four points from Shaw. She would go on to score a game-high 23 on 17 shots the rest of the night. Defense was also key to the first quarter dominance, as the hosts recorded four steals on four Lightning turnovers. The final ingredient to the Marauder's success was taking care of the ball on the offensive end, as they ended the period without committing a giveaway.
 
Millersville continued to hold the edge through halftime, but a strong shooting second half from Goldey-Beacom brought the visitors closer. Two free throws gave them the 47-45 advantage with just over three minutes remaining. From that point onward, it was Shaw who took control, going on a personal 7-0 run to put the Marauders up 52-47.
 
Elstone then canned the dagger three off of a Brenna Ortwein pass to give the hosts the eight point lead and the victory. Both players' defense was critical to the win as Ortwein nabbed a season-high five steals and Elstone matched a season-high with four.

GAME NOTES

• Millersville's all-time record against Goldey-Beacom improves to 8-2, notching its second consecutive victory in the matchup. The Marauders had won six straight between 2006 and 2015 before falling for the first time in 2018. 
• Sophomore guard Jillian Crawford received her first career start.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Freshman Rhyan Mitchell made her debut and scored two points to pair with her three rebounds and a steal. She was a game-high +19 as well.
• Elstone set a season-high with 16 points on just nine shots. She knocked down three of her four three-point attempts after starting the season zero of six from beyond the arc.
• The Marauders won the turnover battle for the first time this season, committing 12 giveaways to the Lightning's 22.

POSTGAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH KIRA MOWEN

• Overall thoughts: "I thought our intensity was great defensively. I wish offensively we would have been able to put the ball in the basket a little bit more. But that comes from working the offense, working the ball, finding an open teammate when they're available, and getting players in the spots that they need to be successful."
• On the turnover battle: "We've been working on the turnover rack to make sure we keep them down each and every game. We know that once we get into conference play, it's going to have to be something that we really value every game."

UP NEXT

•  The Marauders travel to Edinboro to face the Fighting Scots on Monday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m.