ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team won, 84-56, over Clarion Wednesday evening at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers scored a season-high 84 points in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division victory. The win completes a two-game sweep of Clarion for Hurst.
 
Mackenzie Clark opened the scoring for Clarion, but Megan Hoffman answered with a three-pointer with 17:56 left. She connected from deep again at the 14:49 mark, giving the hosts a 10-9 edge. Kaylee Foster's layup was matched by a Hannah Heeter jumper. Hoffman made a basket and then Lindsey Burke drained a trey to put the Lakers ahead 17-11 with 11:43 remaining. Amanda Gough scored, but Hurst went on a run to break open the matchup.
 
Buckets by Dana Banda and Foster expanded the lead and then Burke nailed another triple. Banda hit a jumper and then Hoffman drilled two more from downtown. The 17-0 run ended on a Katie Carbee jumper with 5:24 left and Mercyhurst leading 34-13.
 
Heeter ended the Lady Eagles' drought with a bucket, but the Lakers maintained their advantage. Lindsay Stamp capped the first half with a jumper to beat the buzzer and give Hurst a 40-23 lead.
 
In the second half, Clarion made a run early, as Emma Fickel highlighted a 9-5 period with a three-pointer with 16:52 to go. Banda then hit a trey and Foster followed with a jump shot. Burke responded to a Clark basket with a three and then Nikki Frederickson hit two free throws to make it 55-36 with 13:25 to play.
 
Triples by Banda and Allen stretched the margin farther and then Kelsey Trosch scored four straight points. The lead eventually stretched to 41 at two points before the Eagles cut the margin in the final few minutes.
 
Banda finished with 18 points, five assists, four steals, and four rebounds. Hoffman had 16 points on four treys, while Foster added 13 points and five boards. Heeter had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Eagles.
 
Hurst (11-10, 9-8 PSAC) shot 52.4 percent from the field, while Clarion (6-15, 5-12 PSAC) hit 38 percent of its tries. The Lakers connected on 12 threes and outrebounded the visitors, 42-20.
 
Hurst hits the road for a PSAC West game at Indiana (Pa.) Saturday, February 11. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
For a box score of the Clarion-Mercyhurst game, please click here.