Erie, Pa. – The Mercyhurst women's basketball team used clutch second-half shooting to storm back to within four points late in the contest, but the No. 24 Gannon Golden Knights held on for a 76-68 victory in front of 1,341 fans Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center. Samantha Loadman posted her first career double-double and made six three-pointers for the Lakers, who placed four players in double-figures. 

The Lakers trailed 46-34 after a fast-paced first half. Gannon built their lead to 16 points at 54-38 with 15:29 remaining. Mercyhurst subsequently went on a 5-0 run, as Stephanie Prischak made a jumper and Lindsay Whipkey converted a three-point play to pull the Lakers to within 11 points at 54-43 with 13:50 remaining. The teams traded baskets for the next five and a half minutes, and Gannon held a 63-51 lead with 8:21 left in regulation. Samantha Loadman made a three-pointer on the next Laker possession to spark an 8-0 run. Nikki Frederickson capped the Mercyhurst rally with a free throw at the 4:59 mark, and the Lakers trailed by just four points at 63-59. Gannon's Carrie Nolan immediately drove coast-to-coast for a layup, was fouled, and converted the free throw to push the lead out to seven points at 66-59. 

The Golden Knights forged a 70-59 lead with 3:37 left in the game when Kristina Freeman made her second consecutive jumper. Amy Achesinski converted a layup on the next possession, followed by nearly two minutes of scoreless basketball before Loadman drilled a triple to slice the deficit to six points at 70-64 with 1:26 remaining. Brittany Tabron answered with a layup to give the Lakers and eight-point lead at 72-64. Loadman made a free throw on the Lakers' next possession and, after a missed Gannon foul shot, Kelsey Gordon made a three-pointer to pull the Lakers to within four points at 72-68 with 16 seconds left. The Lakers were forced to foul the rest of the way, and fell 76-68. 

For the game, the Lakers shot 44.8 percent from the field and 8-of-24 from three-point range. Mercyhurst outrebounded Gannon 35-33, and 12-10 on the offensive glass. The Golden Knights shot 46.7 percent from the field and hit seven three-pointers, making clutch shots to answer Laker rallies. Mercyhurst committed 14 turnovers to just eight for Gannon. 

With the setback, the Lakers are now 10-16, 4-9 in PSAC West play, and have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. The Golden Knights clinched home-court in the PSAC tournament's first round and are now 23-3, 11-2 in divisional play. 

Loadman led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. She made seven out of 17 field goals and shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, giving her two consecutive games with five or more made three-pointers, three this season, and five such games 
for her career. 

The Lakers have now had players notch double-doubles in three straight games, as Achesinski notched double-doubles in each game last week. 

Achesinski scored 18 points on 9-of15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 31 minutes. She has now scored 827 points in 53 career games, and moved into 19th place in scoring in program history. 

Gordon registered a career-high 11 points, making two three-pointers, one layup and three free throws in a career-high 35 minutes. 

Prischak netted 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and led the Lakers with five assists. She is now eighth all-time in program history in assists. Whipkey added five points, and Frederickson recorded three points. Megan Hoffman contributed four assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes. 

Brittany Tabron led Gannon's four double-figures scoring players with 20 points. Carrie Nolan scored 18 points, including three three-pointers. Kristina Freeman scored her 1,000th career point on the evening. 

The first half remained tightly contested, with Gannon holding the edge on the scoreboard for most of the half. The Lakers took a brief lead at 21-20 when Loadman made a three-pointer with 9:37 to play in the opening session. Carrie Nolan answered with a three-pointer of her own to reclaim the lead for Gannon. The Golden Knights outscored the Lakers 26-13 over the final nine minutes of the first half and took a 46-34 lead into intermission. 

Loadman led the Lakers in first-half scoring, with 11 points, and Achesinski netted 10 in the opening frame. Brittany Tabron paced Gannon with 14 first-half points. Both teams shot well in the first half, with Gannon shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc. Mercyhurst made 50 percent of its shots during the opening session. 

The Lakers will conclude their regular season Saturday at Hamer Hall against PSAC West-leading No. 3 California (Pa.). The Vulcans are 22-3, 12-1 in divisional play, and defeated Slippery Rock 76-55 Wednesday to clinch at least a share of first place in the PSAC West.