CLARION, Pa. — An 18-11 advantage in the third quarter wasn't enough to overcome a first half in which the Marauders shot just 21.4% from the field and 9-of-16 from the free throw line, leading to a 61-53 defeat at the hands of the Clarion Golden Eagles. Despite the loss, Millersville's defense put up another stifling performance against one of the best offenses in the country. 

Millersville's struggles were more pronounced from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, evidenced by its nine three-point attempts without a make. Head coach Kira Mowen said postgame that the pressure that Clarion applied was a leading reason for the team's shooting struggles.
 
"I thought that the pressure in the first half really frustrated and got to us," Mowen explained.  "It wasn't that there weren't any openings, but that we just weren't seeing them. Our shooting was off, we weren't hitting anything from the mid-range, and then we were struggling to finish at the rim with contact. When we got fouled and we got bailed out, we couldn't make free throws. It was a struggle from the jump for us and something that we've got to clearly fix as we head into Saturday."
 
That pressure from the Golden Eagles' defense was a constant throughout the game. In the first quarter, the hosts began matching up full court off of makes and backcourt inbounds. They also trapped the ballhandler in the corners of the halfcourt and blitzed ball screens at times, which led to 12 first-half turnovers and that 21.4% mark from the field. The struggles peaked during a five-minute stretch in the second period during which Millersville was outscored 14-4. However, the defense kept the Marauders in the game and they entered the half down 10, at which point Mowen made a few adjustments.
 
"We talked about taking care of the ball and doing a better job of finding your open teammate," Mowen detailed.  "Obviously, when they send a double, there are open people. We took better care of the ball in the second half and made a valiant run in the third, but I was burning legs so badly to get back in the game and I needed to have legs in the fourth, and I just don't think we had that."
 
The legs in question were those of Morgan Mahoney, Kali March and Brenna Ortwein, who each played all 10 minutes. Rhyan Mitchell was a difference-maker as well and played 8:26. It was for good reason that Mowen stuck with those four, as they were key to the team's 11-0 run over a three-minute span that cut a 13-point Clarion advantage to two. March knocked down two jump shots including a three and Mitchell capped the Marauder run by going coast-to-coast and finishing a finger roll at the basket.
 
After going 1-of-6 from the field in the first half, March heated up in the second; she tallied 11 of her team-high 15 points in the final two quarters on 4-of-7 from the field including all three of the team's three-pointers. She also had four steals, but it was Ortwein who contributed the most in that category with six, the most by any Marauder in a single game this season. The senior was a terror in the passing lanes all game long, reading and snagging entry passes and feasting on lazy kickouts.
 
Mahoney and Mitchell each contributed three blocks, which was a career-high for the sophomore Mitchell. The takeaways and swats resulted in an impressive defensive effort, especially in the second half. The Marauders kept the Golden Eagles to nearly 20 points fewer than the 80.3 they were averaging entering the game, which ranked 16^th in the nation. It was also the ninth straight game that Millersville held the opposition to less than 36% from the field; no Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) has shot better than 32% against the Marauders this season.
 
In a scheduling quirk caused by Mercyhurst's departure from the PSAC, this game does not count towards Millersville's conference record nor the PSAC East standings. However, it does count for Clarion due to the imbalance of teams between the East and West divisions. The Marauders return to official PSAC play for the rest of the season beginning with a daunting foe in No. 17 Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Pucillo Gymnasium.