Box Score
Clarion, Pa. – The Mercyhurst College women's basketball team received clutch plays down the stretch, as a
Megan Hoffman three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Lakers a 61-58 victory at Clarion Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Amy Achesinski led all players with 26 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, the Lakers improve to 12-5, 4-1 in PSAC West play and remain in a tie for second in the divisional standings. Clarion slips to 10-8, 1-4 in divisional contests.
Mercyhurst trailed 56-53 with 3:17 to go, before
Dana Banda drilled a three from the top of the key to knot the score. Bethany Koch gave the Golden Eagles at 58-56 lead when her uncontested layup fell through the net with 1:36 remaining. One minute later,
Amy Achesinski nailed a bank shot from the lower right side to tie the contest at 58-58. Following a Clarion timeout,
Katie Carbee made the defensive play of the game, drawing a charge as Rachel Skolny hit a floater which was subsequently negated by the offensive foul.
The Lakers fed the ball to Achesinski on the high post. The forward drove the lane, lost control and fell to the floor. She tipped the ball up to Banda, who found
Megan Hoffman at the center point. Hoffman's triple was true, claiming the win for the Lakers, 61-58.
Mercyhurst overcame a 31-24 halftime deficit, shooting 50 percent from the field and hitting five threes in the final 20 minutes. Additionally, Achesinski scored 20 points during the second half. The Lakers forced 11 Clarion turnovers during the second half.
Achesinski scored the Lakers' first nine points after halftime, including two three-pointers with the shot clock expiring, helping the team pull even at 33-33 with a personal 9-2 scoring run. The teams traded baskets for a majority of the second half, but a Rachel Graeff three-pointer at 8:28 staked the Golden Eagles to a 50-46 edge.
The Lakers went on a 7-0 surge over the next three minutes, with
Lindsay Whipkey making a layup and Achesinski netting five points, and Mercyhurst led 53-50 with 5:15 left. Clarion scored the next six points, setting up the frenetic finish.
For the game, the Lakers shot 45.1 percent from the field, and went 8-of-18 from downtown (44.4 percent), also going 7-for-10 from the foul line. Clarion shot 41 percent, and made 5-of-15 three-point attempts, going 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles outrebounded Mercyhurst 39-27, including 18-8 on the offensive glass, but the Lakers held an 11-10 edge on second-chance points. Clarion committed 17 turnovers to Mercyhurst's 15.
Clarion controlled the game during the first half, as Koch scored 12 points in the opening session. The Lakers held an early 5-4 lead, but Clarion built its lead to six points at 19-13 midway through the first 20 minutes, and Koch finished the half with a putback layin for a 31-24 advantage. Loadman led the Lakers with eight points in the first half.
The Lakers are 4-1 in conference play for the first time since before the team joined the GLIAC in 1995-96.
Achesinski's 26 points serve as a season high, with her two made three-pointers a career best. She shot 10-of-16 from the field.
Loadman nailed three triples on the way to 11 points, and grabbed seven rebounds in her fourth double-digits game in a row. Banda tallied eight points and dished out three assists. Whipkey and Hoffman tallied six points and four rebounds apiece, with Hoffman adding two steals.
Kaylee Foster notched four points, while Carbee posted two steals and a second-half blocked shot.
Koch led three Golden Eagles in double-figures with 19 points, and Lizzie Suwala tallied 14.
The Lakers next play at No. 20 California (Pa.) Saturday at 1 p.m. The Vulcans are 14-4, 4-1 in PSAC West play after defeating IUP 69-60 Wednesday.
