MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — The Marauders faced another tough matchup in their gauntlet schedule this season, hosting #8 Jefferson at Pucillo Gymnasium. Despite strong efforts in the first and third quarters, Millersville was unable to hand the Rams their first loss of the season. 
 
Millersville hung with Jefferson early, taking an eight to seven lead on a Jabria Ingram jumper in the first quarter. The Marauders out-shot the Rams in the period but exited down 15-12 because of differences in turnovers (six to two in favor of Jefferson) and offensive rebounds (four to one) That led to five more attempts for the visitors. 
 
Jefferson opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run leading to a Marauder timeout just under four minutes in. A Marauder foul on a made layup put the Rams into the bonus at this point, as the 'Ville had committed five fouls to the Rams' 0. The foul discrepancy was due to the team's play style, as the Rams lived in the paint, scoring 18 of their first 26 points from the area. Five of the remaining eight points came from the free-throw line. The Rams pushed their advantage to double-digits by the end of the period. 
 
The Marauders cut into the deficit in the third quarter, winning it 19-14. La'Shyra Williams opened the scoring in the second half with a layup off of an offensive rebound. Improvements in shooting percentage and ball security were key to the Marauder advantage. They committed just two turnovers in the period after giving it up 15 times in the first half and shot 47.1 percent.

GAME NOTES

• This was the first meeting of these two programs in nearly 11 years. The Marauders had held a flawless record in the previous matchups at 5-0. 
• The Marauders have faced two teams ranked in the top 10 in the past three games in #10 California (Pa.) and #8 Jefferson. The combined record of their opponents so far this season is 35-10, a .777 winning percentage. Removing Slippery Rock (0-4) and Daemen (4-3) makes this a 31-3 mark, good for a .912 winning percentage. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Marauders shot seven of their 15 shots in the second quarter from beyond the three-point arc after not attempting a single one in the first quarter in an effort to break the Ram's zone defense. 
•  Sophie Elstone filled up the box score. She paced Millersville in points with 10 (on five of eight from the field) and recorded four rebounds as well as two assists. Elstone added a steal and a block as well. 

POSTGAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH KIRA MOWEN

• On balancing turnovers with a faster pace of play: "Turnovers absolutely hurt and we need to learn to value the possession of the ball in low scoring nights. This week's practice will focus on effectively pushing the ball while at the same time making a crisp pass to our teammates."
• On halftime adjustments: "To be honest, at halftime I didn't speak much. As a coach, you have to find that perfect time to get into them or let them self reflect. They self reflected a little in the locker room but it wasn't enough to overcome the spread."

UP NEXT

•  The Marauders host out of conference opponent Goldey-Beacom on Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium.