ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team beat Cheyney, 63-35, at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center Saturday evening. Nikki Frederickson scored 21 points on 9-11 shooting, while the Laker defense allowed its fewest points in 13 years on its way to a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover victory.
 
Hurst jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the game's first three minutes. Lindsey Burke made a layup, while Frederickson scored three times around a Dana Banda three-pointer. The Wolves, looking for their first win of the season, never got closer than six the rest of the way.
 
Frederickson continued her hot start, connecting on two more layups to put the home team ahead 17-7 with 13:08 left in the first half. Kelsey Trosch got involved after that, hitting a layup and then converting a three-point play to make it 22-7 eight minutes into the game.
 
Trosch scored two baskets with a Burke layup in between to expand the lead to 33-15 with 4:23 remaining in the opening frame. After a Frederickson lay-in, Banda drilled a triple for a 21-point advantage. Stamp closed the first half with a layup, as the Lakers went into the break with a 40-20 lead.
 
Frederickson slammed the door early in the second half, scoring the first seven points on two layups and trey for a 47-20 Hurst margin. Stamp took over from there, scoring the next seven Laker points, giving her team a 58-26 lead with 11:52 to play.
 
Nadirah Brown, who led the Wolves with 22 points, made two jump shots to make it 58-33 with 10:24 showing on the clock. Abby Allen's lay-in with 9:54 left put Hurst up 27. The game slowed to a crawl after that, as neither team scored for the next five-plus minutes. Kaylee Foster's free throw with 4:23 left broke the spell, but there wasn't a field goal until two minutes later, when Shanavia Thomas scored Cheyney's final points. Adele Campbell's jumper in the last minute created the final margin.

The 35 points are the fewest allowed by the Lakers since 1999, when they beat Columbia Union, 105-29.
 
Mercyhurst enjoyed a 44-14 advantage on points in the paint and outscored the visitors 30-6 of turnovers. The home team shot 50 percent from the field and held Cheyney 29.5 percent shooting. The Wolves also turned the ball over 27 times.
 
Frederickson scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Stamp was next with 11 points on 5-10 shooting. Trosch added nine points, while Banda had six points, six assists, and four steals in 26 minutes.
 
Coach Deanna Richard's group has won seven of its last eight games. They have moved to 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the PSAC.
 
The Lakers travel to Clarion for the PSAC West opener Wednesday, January 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
For a box score of the Cheyney-Mercyhurst game, please click here.