Indiana, Pa. – The Mercyhurst women's basketball team fell behind 21-6 after nine minutes of play, and was unable to pull within single-digits the rest of the game, falling 74-56 at No. 12 Indiana (Pa.) Saturday at Memorial Field House. 

The Lakers' record stands at 7-8, 1-1 in PSAC West play, while the Crimson Hawks are now 13-2 and 2-0 in the PSAC West. 

Indiana (Pa.) began the game with strong shooting, getting points from inside and outside, racing out to a 13-4 lead at the time of the first media timeout. The Crimson Hawks pushed their lead out to 15 points at 21-6 with 11:14 remaining. Amy Achesinski made two baskets over the next minute and a half to pull the Lakers to within 11 points at 21-10 with 9:57 left in the first half. IUP outscored Mercyhurst 20-9 over the remainder of the opening session, taking a 41-19 lead into halftime. 

The Crimson Hawks shot 61.5 percent from field goal range and 5-for -10 from behind the arc in the first half. The Lakers shot 37.5 percent from the field and made just one out of 11 three-point attempts in the first half. 

The Lakers saw IUP storm out of the gate in the second half, and the Crimson Hawk lead stood at 31 points with 15:24 left in the game. Mercyhurst outscored IUP 30-17 over the final 15 minutes of play, receiving scoring contributions from Amy Achesinski, Jackie Artise, Megan Hoffman, Samantha Loadman, Stephanie Prischak and Lindsay Whipkey during that span, but it was not enough to overcome the large deficit. The Crimson Hawks emerged with a 74-56 win. 

The Lakers shot 40.7 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range for the game. The Crimson Hawks shot 53.7 percent from the field, including 46.2 percent from three-point range. The Lakers were outrebounded 36-22 for the game. 

Achesinski paced Mercyhurst with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. She also led the team with two blocks. 

Loadman scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range. Artise added 10 points, including two three-point goals. 

Prischak scored seven points and led the Lakers with six rebounds and four steals. She has scored 983 points in 80 career games. Whipkey contributed seven points. Hoffman added three points and Nikki Frederickson finished with two markers. 

For IUP, Jahzinga Tracey had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Three other Crimson Hawks scored in double figures. 

The Lakers will play at Edinboro Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The Fighting Scots are 10-5, 1-1 in divisional play after an 82-64 loss Saturday to Slippery Rock. Mercyhurst defeated Edinboro 83-65 in their last meeting, Dec. 5, 2007.