Box Score

California, Pa. – The Mercyhurst women's basketball team trailed 39-26 to No. 3 Cal (Pa.) at halftime, but the Vulcans pulled away in the second half for an 84-52 victory Saturday in front of 421 fans at Hamer Hall. Sophmore Samantha Loadman made five three-pointers, leading the Lakers with 17 points and nine rebounds in the loss. 

The Vulcans used a high-pressure defense throughout the game and forced 31 Mercyhurst turnovers, which they turned into 42 points. Cal (Pa.) surged ahead 26-12 halfway through the opening session. The Vulcans then built a 20 point lead at 37-17 with 3:31 to go in the first half. The Lakers, spurred by seven points from Jackie Artise and two from Kelsey Gordon, went on a 9-2 run to close the half, and trailed 39-26 at intermission. 

Lindsay Johnson scored 17 points in the first half to lead all scorers. Mercyhurst shot 52.4 percent from the field during the first half and made four three-pointers, but the Vulcans more than doubled Mercyhurst's shot total, making 40 percent of their 45 shot attempts. Cal U also forced 19 first half turnovers and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds in the opening frame. 

Cal U scored the first four points of the second half to take a 43-26 lead, but Mercyhurst responded with a 10-5 run, as Amy Achesinski made two layups sandwiched around two successful three-point goals from Samantha Loadman, and the Lakers trailed by 12 points, 48-36, with 15:43 remaining. The Vulcans then put the game out of reach with a 17-0 run, and led 65-36 with 11:05 to left in the game. Mercyhurst was only able to get as close as 23 points the rest of the way, and Cal came away with an 84-52 win. 

The Vulcans claimed the regular season PSAC West championship at 13-1 in divisional play, and 24-3 overall. The Lakers finished their season at 10-17, 4-10 in PSAC West play and tied for sixth with Edinboro. 

The Lakers made eight out of 19 three-point attempts, giving them 176 made three-point goals on the season, the second best single-season mark in program history. For the game, the Lakers shot 41.9 percent from the field. The Vulcans made 48.1 percent of their field goals and outrebounded the Lakers 45-31, including 22-7 on the offensive glass. 

Loadman netted 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting, making five three-pointers, and she added two foul shots. She made five or more three pointers for the third game in a row, a feat which no Mercyhurst women's basketball player had accomplished previously. She also led the Lakers with nine rebounds and two steals. Loadman became the 11th player in school history to make 100 or more three-pointers. 

Artise scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. Achesinski scored eight points, and Nikki Frederickson added seven tallies. Megan Hoffman registered five points and four boards, while Stephanie Prischak and Gordon each scored two points. Prischak, who led with four assists, finished her career 11th in program history with 1,112 points. 

Brooque Williams scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half for the Vulcans while adding 10 boards, and Johnson finished with 17 markers, all in the first half. Kayla Smith recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. 

The Lakers have concluded their 2008-09 campaign with a three-game improvement in the win column over last season, and remained in postseason contention until the final week of the campaign.