WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team fell to West Chester Sunday afternoon, 67-57, at the Hollinger Fieldhouse.
Two Lakers hit double digits in the ten-point loss. Lindsay Stamp posted her fourth straight double-digit game, tallying a second-consecutive 18 point contest. The freshman also grabbed 3 boards, had 2 blocks, and went 4-9 from three-point range. Kaylee Foster added 14 points, 4 rebounds, and was a perfect 6-6 from the foul line.
Seniors Megan Hoffman and Katie Carbee controlled the boards for the Lakers pulling down eight a piece against the Golden Rams. Dana Banda added six assists as well as four points while playing all but three minutes of the game.
West Chester's Ambreelinne Ortman lead the Golden Rams with 14 points and five rebounds while Alex Lennon went 5-5 from the floor and added a pair of foul shots, contributing 12 points on the contest. Lennon also had six rebounds and a game-high four blocks.
The Golden Rams were the first to score, with 3 points in the first minute of the contest. Banda added a layup to get the Lakers on the board, while Kelsey Trosch scored 2 of her 6 points off a Hoffman steal to give Mercyhurst their only edge of the game.
The Golden Rams went on a 8-0 run until Stamp's three-pointer at the 15:46 mark. Carbee's three-pointer and a layup by Foster got the Lakers within 3 with just under 9 to play in the first half. Mercyhurst kept it close, trailing by only 8 at the 4:55 mark. The Lakers added 12 points in the last 5 minutes, including a three by Hoffman to end the first half, to close the deficit to just four points at 35-31.
Mercyhurst's Nikki Frederickson was the first to score in the second half getting the Lakers within two. Foster and Frederickson scored within the next 1:22, tying the Golden Rams on two occasions. West Chester went on a quick 6-0 run, building its lead. The Golden Rams led by 9 with just under 10 to play though the Lakers closed the gap and trailed by just three with 5:26 to play. However, West Chester ended the game with an 11-4 run and six straight unanwered points to given them the 10-point win.
The Lakers bench outscored the Golden Rams 26-21, and posted four more rebounds with 38 over 32. Mercyhurst also took advantage of the charity stripe with 83.3%, only missing two on the contest, while West Chester went 56.7% missing 13.
Turnovers proved to be the difference-maker for the Lakers. Mercyhurst turned the ball over 37 times compared to West Chester's 25, and the Golden Rams converted 35 points off those turnovers while the Lakers manged just 20.
Stamp led the Lakers in scoring for the fourth time on the season, while Banda played her second straight 37-minute game.
Mercyhurst (0-4, 0-2 PSAC) is off until December 3 when they host Kutztown University for a 1 p.m. contest at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, Pa.
For a box score of the Mercyhurst-West Chester game, please click here.
