ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 77-62, at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center Wednesday evening. Dana Banda led three Lakers in double figures with 15 points.


 
The Laker bench made its mark in the final portion of the first half, as freshman Lindsay Stamp dropped nine points in the last six minutes of the frame. Lindsey Burke contributed six boards and three blocked shots. Mercyhurst held a 14-4 lead in bench points on its way to a 34-25 lead at the break.
 
Jamie Kaufman opened the second half with a layup to get the Bobcats within seven and the teams traded baskets for the next four minutes. A jumper and three by Stamp were answered by four points from Lydia Bridenbaugh, the second-leading scorer in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) entering tonight.
 
Lay-ins by Kaylee Foster, Megan Hoffman, Nikki Frederickson, and Banda gave the Lakers a 53-42 advantage with 8:41 left. Hoffman followed with a trey and then Banda put the game away. The junior made two free throws, two layups, and then, after a Foster bucket, made another lay-in to give Hurst a 66-49 lead with just over four minutes to play.
 
Hurst jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first 2:02, as Frederickson hit two layups, Katie Carbee nailed a three-pointer, and Kelsey Trosch made two free throws. WVWC responded with an 11-0 run of its own, but Banda answered with a triple for a 12-11 with 13:35 remaining.
 
The teams went scoreless for the next two-plus minutes until Bridenbaugh connected on two free throws with 11:01 left. Foster came back on the next possession with a trey and then Carbee followed with a jumper for a 17-13 edge. A three-point play by Trosch and a three from Hoffman put the home team ahead 23-15 with 7:53 to go.
 
Banda hit 6-9 shots on her way to 15 points. Stamp was next with 14, hitting 6-12 attempts. Hoffman hit three treys on her way to 11 points. Frederickson had eight points and nine rebounds, while Burke blocked four shots and pulled down 11 boards.
 
Kaufman led the Bobcats with 26 points and grabbed six rebounds. Bridenbaugh hit just 3-17 shots from the floor, including 1-11 three-point tries.
 
As a team, the Lakers shot 31-67 (46.3 percent) from the field. Wesleyan hit 24-65 (36.9 percent) tries. It connected on just 1-17 three-point attempts in the contest. The home team outrebounded Wesleyan, 50-29, including 22 offensive boards.
 
Mercyhurst is now 3-0 at the MAC this season. It is 4-5 overall, while WVWC dropped to 5-3 on the year.
 
Hurst returns to the court December 30, hosting Notre Dame College at the MAC. The non-conference contest is set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
For a box score of the Wesleyan-Mercyhurst game, please click here.