Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team came up short Saturday, falling, 72-64, to Indiana (Pa.) at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Despite the loss, the Lakers clinched a spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
 
With Lock Haven's 79-62 loss to California (Pa.), Mercyhurst secured a berth in the conference playoffs. The Lakers are 7-12 in the PSAC, while LHU is 4-15 with three games left in the regular season. Mercyhurst swept the season series with the Eagles, locking down the tiebreaker for the two teams.
 
The game featured 55 fouls and eight ties. The teams traded blows throughout the second half, as the Lakers rallied from a 44-38 deficit with 12:36 remaining. Alayna White hit a foul shot and then Lindsey Burke drained a three-pointer. An Abby Allen layup at the 11:23 mark tied the game at 44.
 
White continued the spurt with another bucket, but Amy Fairman converted two free throws to even the score again. White and Fairman traded lay-ins before White finished a three-point play with 7:56 to go. Fairman kept the pressure on, though, hitting two shots to regain IUP's edge. A pair of Taylor Krusinski foul shots put the Lakers back ahead, but Fairman had another answer inside for a 54-53 advantage with 7 minutes left.
 
Two free throws and a layup gave Indiana a 58-53 lead, but Adrienne Kloecker scored and Kristi Ewanick split two free throws. A Kloecker jump shot tied the contest at 58 with 4:04 to play. Once again, Fairman had the answer, regaining the lead with a layup.
 
Foster's layup with 3 minutes left made it 61-60 IUP and then Lindsay Stamp made two free throws. Burke came back with a bucket, but Stamp made a steal and layup for a 65-62 margin with 75 seconds remaining. The Hawks sealed the game with a layup and five foul shots.
 
Krusinski started the game with two baskets for a 4-0 lead early. After Indiana tied it, Foster sank a trey and a lay-in. Neither team had much momentum in the first period, as Fairman scored for a 12-9 lead with 9:55 left. A pair of Marita Mathe threes made it 20-11, but White scored inside and then hit a triple to make it 20-16 with 5:44 to go.
 
The teams then began a parade to the foul line. The Lakers converted 4-6 in the final minutes of the half, as the Hawks went into the locker room with a 27-25 edge.
 
Krusinski scored twice early in the second half, but a Marina Wareham trey kept IUP ahead. Zhane Brooks made two free throws for a 44-38 advantage at the 12:36 mark.
 
Foster finished with 16 points on 7-11 shooting before fouling out. She was one of four players to foul out on the day. White posted 14 points and five rebounds, while Krusinski added 10 points. Kloecker had seven points, five boards, and four assists. Mathe and Fairman each had 21 points.
 
Mercyhurst outscored Indiana, 38-28, in the paint, but the Hawks had a 28-14 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Mercyhurst last qualified for the PSAC Tournament after the 2010-11 season.
 
The Lakers dropped to 7-16 overall and 7-12 in the PSAC. They host rival Gannon on senior night Wednesday, February 20, at 5:30 p.m.