Box Score
ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team beat Mansfield, 75-60, Friday evening.
Dana Banda recorded 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover win at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
The Lakers put together a stellar first half, taking a 43-22 halftime advantage. They hit 16-27 field goals and held the Mountaineers to 5-24 shooting in the first twenty minutes.
After two Mansfield free throws,
Kelsey Trosch got the hosts started with a jumper. Reigning PSAC Western Division Freshman of the Week
Adrienne Kloecker followed with a three-pointer.
Alayna White accounted for Mercyhurst's next four points, giving her team a 9-8 edge with 14:44 to play. Banda then scored inside. Banda found
Lindsey Burke open for three on the next possession and then did it again just over a minute later. Mansfield scored on the other end, but Banda hit
Kelley McBroom for her first career trey to make it 20-10 with 11:35 left in the first half.
Mercyhurst kept the strong shooting going, as
Taylor Krusinski made two shots and then
Laura McCauley drained a jumper. Two Kloecker free throws capped an 11-0 Laker run.
The visitors scored twice, but Kloecker responded with another triple, assisted by Banda. Banda followed with an assist to Trosch and then McCauley scored on a fast break to stretch the lead to 36-14 with 4:21 to play. Eventually, McBroom sank another three to make it 43-17 late in the first half. Mercyhurst got 26 points from its bench in the first period as the team assisted on 12 of its 16 made field goals.
The Mountaineers tried to rally in the second half, but Mercyhurst maintained its advantage, never letting Mansfield get closer than 12 in the final twenty minutes.
McBroom led with a career-high 12 points on 5-7 shooting. Foster finished with 11 points-all in the second half. Kloecker also had 11, making three treys and grabbing four rebounds. Banda scored 10 points, tied a career high with eight assists, and compiled five boards and three steals. Krusinski recorded new career highs with nine points and five boards off the bench. Of the 11 Lakers to play, 10 scored in the 15-point victory. Mansfield had four double-digit scorers, led by Kayla Espigh with 15.
The Lakers shot 53.8 percent (28-52) from the floor and contained the Mountaineers to 35.3 percent (18-51) shooting. Mercyhurst set season highs in points scored (75), field goals made (28), field goal percentage (53.8 percent), assists (20), and steals (17).
Mercyhurst is now 3-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference. The Lakers return to the court tomorrow for another PSAC crossover. They host Bloomsburg at 5:30 p.m.
