Box Score

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team won, 82-75, at Slippery Rock Saturday afternoon. Katie Fischer scored a career-high 20 points to lead five Lakers in double figures in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest at Morrow Field House.
 
After going down, 44-34, at halftime, Mercyhurst rallied with a strong second-half performance, scoring a season-high 48 points in the final twenty minutes Saturday.
 
D'Asia Chambers scored the first points of the second frame, giving The Rock a 46-34 lead. The Lakers responded with a game-changing 17-1 run. Mariah Penascino started the momentum swing with her second three-pointer of the game. After Alayna White came up with a steal, Alex Artise scored inside. Slippery Rock split two foul shots on its possession. White eventually pulled down a rebound and then made a layup to make it 47-41 with 17:24 remaining.
 
Artise followed with two free throws and White made another lay-in to pull within two points. Penascino recorded a steal and sprinted in for a layup, tying the game at 47 and forcing a Rock timeout with 14:32 to play. Penascino pulled down a defensive rebound, setting up an Artise trey. After another Penascino board, Natalie Piaggesi found Adrienne Kloecker for a layup and a 52-47 advantage with 12:53 showing on the clock. Fischer capped the run with a pair of foul shots for a seven-point margin.
 
Slippery Rock fought back, scoring five straight points to cut its deficit, but Fischer assisted on a Piaggesi bucket to stem the tide. White hit Fischer for a triple and then Fischer split two foul shots, making it 60-53 with 10:15 left. The Rock answered with two baskets before Kloecker sank a jumper. Neither team scored in the next two-plus minutes until Fischer hit Kloecker for another jump shot and a 64-57 lead at the 5:48 mark. Two White layups and a Fischer three sealed the outcome in favor of the Lakers.
 
Fischer scored a personal-best 20 points, hitting 9-10 free throws and three three-pointers. Kloecker posted 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in 40 minutes. White tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Artise added 12 points, while Penascino registered 11 points and seven boards. Chambers paced The Rock with 31 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Mercyhurst shot 41.9 percent (26-62) from the field. It hit as season-high eight three-pointers and 22-27 foul shots. SRU shot 46.4 percent (26-56) for the day, but converted just 33.3 percent (9-27) in the second half. The Lakers committed a season-low 10 turnovers and forced The Rock into 17 miscues.
 
Kloecker carried the offense early, hitting a trey and then two free throws for a 5-2 advantage after 64 seconds of action. Penascino drained a three and then Kloecker connected from long range for an 11-2 lead. The Rock gained control from there, taking a 21-16 lead on a Kara Houppert three with 9:39 to play in the frame.
Artise made a layup and Fischer hit a triple to cut the deficit, but the hosts pulled away for a 44-34 lead at the break.
 
Mercyhurst improved to 5-11 overall and 3-3 in the PSAC. Slippery Rock dropped to 3-13 and 0-6 in the conference. The Lakers host Clarion in another Western Division game on Wednesday, January 22. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.