Dec. 30, 2007

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team made 11-of-18 three-pointers and jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead to defeat Lock Haven 89-78 Sunday. The victory was the Lakers' third in a row and gave Mercyhurst a 3-1 record over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools on the year.

Just one game after making a season-high 12 three-pointers in a 20-point win over New York Institute of Technology, Mercyhurst jumped out to an early lead by making three three-pointers in the first three minutes of play. Freshman Samantha Loadman hit two of those long range shots on her way to a career-high 16 points.

A Malika Miller jumper with 14:29 to play in the first half got Lock Haven back within two points at 11-9 but Mercyhurst answered with two Stephanie Prischak three-pointers and the Lakers went on a 12-2 run and led 26-14 at the midway point of the first half.

Lock Haven scored the next five points to get back within seven but Mercyhurst went on a 9-2 run, capped off by a Stevie Spetoskey three-pointer to make it 35-21 late in the first half. Mercyhurst led 43-28 at the break.

In the second half, Lock Haven turned up the defensive pressure and Mercyhurst turned the ball over 14 times, but the Lakers kept the Bald Eagles from making a run by shooting 67 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes. Mercyhurst led by as many as 21 points but Lock Haven whittled away at the lead, getting as close as eight points with under three minutes to play. The Lakers, however, made free-throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Mercyhurst had four players score in double-figures, led by Prischak with 19 points. Amy Achesinski had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Paris Pugliese added 18 as well. Loadman had six rebounds to go with her 16 points, making 4-of-5 three-pointers. Spetoskey was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field for eight points and Kelsey Gordon came off the bench to finish with six points, three assists and two steals.

For the game, Mercyhurst shot 55 percent from the field and made 24-of-30 free-throws. Lock Haven shot 45 percent from the floor but was only 4-of-13 from long range. The Lakers held a 34-27 rebounding advantage. Michelle Mitchell had a game-high 26 points for Lock Haven and Malika Miller had 20 points and six steals.

Lock Haven falls to 4-6 on the year and Mercyhurst improves to 5-8. The Lakers will look to extend their winning streak Saturday when Mercyhurst hosts rival Gannon at 6 p.m.