Dec. 22, 2007

Box Score

Old Westbury, N.Y. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team scored 17 straight points midway through the first half against New York Institute of Technology, dominating the Bears in a 77-57 win Saturday in Old Westbury, N.Y. The Lakers made a season-high 12 three-pointers and the 57 points scored by NYIT represented the team's best effort of the season defensively.

Holding onto a 21-16 lead with 7:51 to play in the first half, Mercyhurst shut out NYIT over the next six minutes, building a 38-16 lead and never looking back. The Lakers' 22-point lead was the largest of the half and NYIT never got back within striking distance.

Early on, it did not appear that Mercyhurst would be so efficient offensively, turning the ball over seven times on its first nine possessions and falling behind 5-0. But the Lakers made 7-of-13 three-pointers and NYIT made just seven field goals in the opening 20 minutes as the Lakers took a 41-22 halftime lead.

Stevie Spetoskey made all three of her first half three-point attempts and Samantha Loadman added three three-pointers as each player scored 10 points by the break. Loadman added a team-high five rebounds in the first half and Spetoskey had four rebounds and four assists.

Mercyhurst's second-leading scorer, Stephanie Prischak, was held scoreless in the first half, but made two three-pointers and scored the Lakers' first 12 points of the second half. Mercyhurst built the lead to 28 points at 55-27 and never looked back. The Lakers led by as many as 29 points until a late NYIT run cut the deficit to its' final 20-point margin.

Mercyhurst made 12-of-26 three-pointers for the game and five different players made at least one long range attempt. Four players scored in double figures and all 10 players who got court time scored. Spetoskey led the way with 15 points, followed by Prischak with 12. Achesinski had 11 points and Loadman ended with 10 and seven rebounds. Lindsay Whipkey added eight points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.

With the win, Mercyhurst improves to 4-8 on the year and has its first two-game winning streak of the season. The Lakers have gone 3-2 in their last five games after opening the year 1-6. NYIT falls to 3-6 on the season. Mercyhurst will be back in action Sunday, Dec. 30 when the Lakers host Lock Haven, a future conference opponent in the PSAC, at 2 p.m.