Painesville, Ohio – The Mercyhurst women's basketball team sailed to its third straight victory, as the Lakers charged out to a 36-19 halftime lead before prevailing 68-58 at Lake Erie Thursday, Dec. 17. Samantha Loadman led four Lakers in double-figures with 14 points, while Amy Achesinski and Jackie Artise each recorded double-doubles and Megan Hoffman had a career-high 12.

The Lakers move to 4-3 on the season, while the Storm is now 7-6 in 2009-10.

Mercyhurst made 10 three-pointers on the evening, including five in each half. It was the second time this season the team has made 10 or more threes in one game. The Lakers also owned the boards, outrebounding the Storm 50-29, as two Lakers entered double figures on the glass.

Lake Erie scored the first basket of the game, which proved to be its only lead. After two Amy Achesinski free throws, Megan Hoffman drilled a deep triple to give the Lakers a 5-2 lead with 18:17 remaining in the first half. The Storm hit two foul shots to draw to within one point at 5-4, but then the Lakers then went on a 31-9 run. Mercyhurst hit four triples during the stretch while taking a 36-13 advantage when Hoffman made a three with 3:12 left in the first half.

The Lakers worked outside and inside, with Lindsay Whipkey scoring six points in the paint, and Samantha Loadman and Jackie Artise connecting for six tallies on jump shots during the extended scoring run. Achesinski added five points in the spurt. Lake Erie closed the half on a 6-0 run, and Mercyhurst took a 36-19 edge into halftime.

Mercyhurst held Lake Erie to a 20 percent showing from the field in the first half, while connecting on 45.2 percent of its own shots during the initial 20 minutes.

The Storm threatened to make it a close game early in the second half, opening the session on a 12-5 run. An Alyssa Wagers layup with 16:18 remaining brought Lake Erie to within 10 points at 41-31. The Lakers then staged a 7-0 run to build their lead to 48-31, a margin which they would maintain for a majority of the rest of the game. The Lakers led by 21, 61-40 at the 7:26 mark when Loadman hit her second three-pointer in as many possessions.

The Storm chipped away at the lead, pulling to within eight points with a 16-3 burst over the next five minutes. Four free throws from Hoffman provided insurance, helping Mercyhurst put the finishing touches on a 68-58 win.

For the game, the Lakers made 41.7 percent of its field goals, including 10-of-26 from beyond the arc. The Storm made one-third of its shot attempts, and went 16-of-23 from the foul line. Mercyhurst committed 22 turnovers to the Storm's 11, but scored 10 points off of LEC miscues.

Loadman led the Lakers with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and pulled down six rebounds.

Hoffman scored a career-high 12 points, including two threes and 4-for-4 from the foul line, and led the team with six assists, also a career best.

Artise posted her first career double-double, hitting four three-pointers for 12 points while recording a career-high 11 rebounds.

Achesinski registered the 17th double-double of her career, second in a row and fourth this season, with 11 points and 12 boards.

Whipkey provided eight points, making key baskets to help Mercyhurst pull away. Kaylee Foster added four points, while Dana Banda and Nikki Frederickson each made one three-pointer. Banda dished out three assists and led all players with four steals. Kelsey Trosch scored one point. Katie Carbee hauled in a season-high six rebounds.

Renese Ames led Lake Erie with 19 points, including three triples.

The last time two Lakers recorded double-doubles in the same game was Dec. 1, 2004, when Julie Anderson (25 points, 11 rebounds) and Jessica Olmstead (28 and 11) did so.

The Lakers next play at NAIA opponent Madonna in Livonia, Mich. Wednesday, Dec. 30 to conclude the 2009 portion of the schedule.