Box Score

CALIFORNIA, Pa.- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team lost, 79-65, at California (Pa.) Wednesday. Adrienne Kloecker and Alayna White combined for 42 points in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.
 
Down 39-37 at halftime, the Lakers continued to hang around early in the second half. A Kloecker layup tied the game on the first possession. After a Cal hoop, White scored inside. Cal scored on its next trip, but White responded with a jumper to even the match at 43 with 17:32 left. The hosts split two foul shots before Alex Artise hit a three-pointer to put Mercyhurst ahead.
 
Kate Seebohm tied the game again, but two Kloecker free throws put the Lakers back on top. The Vulcans answered with an 11-0 run to take control and Mercyhurst was unable to cut the deficit as time ran out.
 
Both teams had it rolling offensively in the first half. Jessica Bell scored the Lakers' first points of the game with a jumper at the 18:23 mark. After a Cal hoop, Artise and Kloecker each scored to put Mercyhurst ahead. White followed with a pair of buckets as the Vulcans hit two jumpers. Kaitlynn Fratz scored seven straight Cal points, but a Bell layup and a Kloecker three-pointer kept the visitors within a point with 12:15 remaining in the half.
 
A Fratz three-point play gave the Vulcans some breathing room, but lay-ins by Natalie Piaggesi and White made it a 21-19 game at the 10:26 mark. After a Vulcan basket, Kloecker scored again. Fratz hit a jump shot, but Kloecker answered with a trey to make it a one-point difference again.
 
The hosts went up five, but layups by Katie Fischer, White and Bell gave the Lakers a 30-29 edge with 5:48 left in the period. Emma Mahady came back with two buckets to put Cal back on top, but White scored inside again. Piaggesi made a layup and then closed the frame with two foul shots as the Vulcans took a 39-37 advantage into the break.
 
Kloecker scored 22 points, hitting three three-pointers. She grabbed seven rebounds. White shot 10-16 on her way to 20 points. Bell recorded eight points and seven boards. Fratz scored 25 points to lead Cal.
 
The Lakers outrebounded the Vulcans, 39-22, including an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Mercyhurst shot 25-53 (47.2 percent) from the field and Cal hit 28-54 (51.9 percent) of its attempts.
 
The Lakers dropped to 6-14 overall and 4-6 in the PSAC. Cal moved to 13-7 overall and 7-4 in the conference. Mercyhurst hosts #3 Gannon on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the MAC.