INDIANA, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team lost, 65-57, at #20 Indiana (Pa.) Saturday night. The Lakers shot 53 percent from the field in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.
 
The game was uneven throughout, with the teams trading turnovers and fouls for the duration. With under four minutes left, the Crimson Hawks had control of the matchup, keeping a comfortable margin in the second half. Megan Hoffman grabbed a steal, setting up a Nikki Frederickson layup with 3:12 left to make it 54-47 IUP. Hoffman pulled down a rebound and then Abby Allen found a cutting Dana Banda for another bucket with 2:34 to play.
 
Arika Ullman answered with a three-pointer on the other end to put the hosts ahead 57-49. Hoffman came back with a trey of her own with 1:45 remaining, getting the Lakers within five. With 1:38 to go, Marita Mathe scored, but Allen responded with a triple to make it 59-55 on the next possession. Amy Fairman hit two free throws for the Hawks, but Frederickson's lay-in with 27 seconds left put Hurst down four points. Indiana was able to convert all four of its free throws in the final seconds to put the game away.
 
Frederickson began the game's scoring with a layup 30 seconds in as Hurst got out to an early lead. Allen sank a three, setting up a drought of scoreless basketball for three minutes. Ashley Stoner got the Hawks on the board with a bucket at the 15:56 mark. Hoffman drained a trey to go ahead 8-2 five minutes into the contest. Frederickson's basket gave the visitors a 10-2 advantage.
 
Mathe got the Hawks going with a triple, but Banda came back with a three-pointer and Frederickson hit a layup for a 15-5 edge at the 11:53 mark of the first frame. Sarah Pastorek scored four straight points, but the game again slowed, with neither team scoring for nearly two minutes. Talen Watson hit a jumper and then Stoner split two free throws. Leslie Stapleton's layup got the hosts within one with 8:15 left.
 
Fairman's three gave IUP a 17-15 edge in the next minute. Hoffman answered with a trey, but Stoner made a layup to give IUP a lead. Lindsey Burke drained a triple with one minute to play, but Stoner's bucket sent Indiana to the locker room with a 25-22 edge at halftime.
 
The Hawks started the second half quickly, as Ullman and Mathe each hit a three in the first 64 seconds. A few minutes later, Kaylee Foster converted two free throws and then Hoffman drilled a trey to make it 37-32 with 13:22 left. Mathe's three regained Indiana's control.
 
With just over nine minutes left, Stapleton made a three to give the hosts a 45-36 advantage. Foster scored on the other end, but Pastorek hit a layup with 8:30 left. Foster and Pastorek traded hoops again, as IUP entered the game's final five minutes with a nine-point margin.
 
Frederickson finished with 16 points and six boards. Hoffman hit four treys on her way to 13 points to go with six rebounds. Foster added 10 points, while Allen recorded seven points, three boards, three assists, and three steals in the defeat. Pastorek posted 14 points and eight rebounds, while Mathe had 13 points and four assists for IUP.
 
The Lakers shot 19-36 from the floor and 8-14 from long range, while the Hawks hit 21-54 (39 percent) from the field. Hurst outrebounded IUP, 31-28.
 
Coach Deanna Richard's group dropped to 11-11 overall and 9-9 in the PSAC. Indiana clinched a spot in the conference tournament with the win, improving its record to 18-4 and 14-4 in the league.
 
Mercyhurst makes the short trip to Gannon for a make-or-break conference game Wednesday, February 15. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
For a box score of the Mercyhurst-IUP game, please click here.