ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team lost, 59-55, in overtime, to 18^th-ranked Indiana (Pa.) Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Nikki Frederickson scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.
 
Hurst led 16-2 in the early going, but Indiana came back, tying the game midway through the second half. Two Sarah Pastorek free throws gave the Crimson Hawks a 41-40 edge with 5:45 left in the game. Katie Carbee split two free throws on the other end, evening the score. Kaylee Foster nailed a jumper from the right side, giving the Lakers a 43-41 lead.
 
After two minutes of scoreless action, Frederickson hit two free throws with 1:07 remaining and then two more attempts with 38 seconds to go, putting Hurst ahead 47-41. Arika Ullman banked in a three-pointer on the visitors' next possession, cutting the deficit to three.
 
After a defensive stop, Talen Watson  made two free throws with 14 seconds left, making it 47-46. IUP stole the inbounds pass, setting up Amy Fairman to be fouled on a three-point try with 10 seconds to play. She drained all three attempts to give Indiana a 49-47 advantage.
 
Mercyhurst called a timeout to draw up a final play. Dana Banda drove inside and was fouled with one second showing on the clock. She calmly nailed both free throws, sending the contest into overtime.
 
In the extra session, Leslie Stapleton made a trey 50 seconds in to open scoring. Megan Hoffman split two free throws and then Sarah Pastorek's layup put her team up 54-50 with 2:55 to play. Hoffman followed with another free throw. Watson connected on a jumper, which Foster answered with a bucket of her own. Two turnovers cost the Lakers in the final minutes, allowing IUP to hit enough free throws to seal the road victory.
 
Hurst (8-8, 6-6 PSAC) started the game with a strong defensive showing. Frederickson scored the first nine Laker points as the hosts went up 9-2. Vianca Tejada's lay-in at the 18:11 mark was the only Hawk bucket for over nine minutes. IUP began the outing 1-16 from the field as Mercyhurst went up 16-2 in the game's first nine minutes.
 
Indiana (14-2, 10-2 PSAC) got things going a bit after Ullman's trey broke the drought with 8:48 to go. The teams traded points for the rest of the half, with the Lakers never leading by more than 11 or less than seven. They went into the locker room ahead 28-18. Indiana hit 6-26 (23.1 percent) shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
 
Ullman started the second frame with a three. After a Frederickson basket, IUP received a bucket by Tejada and then a three and a jumper by Ullman, cutting the deficit to 32-28 with 16:57 to go. A Pastorek layup tied the contest at 32 with 14:21 on the clock, but the Lakers did not fold. Banda hit two free throws and eventually, after the visitors gained the lead, she drained a triple with 7:38 to go. Hoffman followed with a three to put Hurst back up 40-38.
 
Frederickson finished 8-11 from the floor and 6-9 from the free throw line. She also made three steals in 38 minutes. Banda was next with 10 points and four assists. Hoffman added seven points and eight boards in defeat. Pastorek led IUP with 21 points and six rebounds. She hit 11-13 free throw tries.
 
As a team, the Lakers shot 40 percent from the field and Indiana hit 29.3 percent from the floor. Hurst outrebounded the Hawks, 43-33, in the loss.
 
The Lakers travel to #3 Edinboro Wednesday, January 25, for their next PSAC match-up. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
For a box score of the IUP-Mercyhurst game, please click here.