GREENSBURG, Pa. – In the season finale at Seton Hill Saturday afternoon, the Mercyhurst women's basketball team battled back from a 12 point halftime deficit but could not pull off a comeback, losing to the Griffins, 79-71. Adrienne Kloecker led all scorers with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field.


After trailing by as many as 14 in the second half, Mercyhurst (9-19, 6-16 PSAC) pulled the game within three with 9:34 to play. The Lakers went on a 7-0 spurt to close within three. Mariah Penascino got things going, as she drained a jumper for two of her five points. Kloecker would then step to the line after being fouled on a three point attempt. She would covert 2-of-3 from the charity strip. Angela Heintz would conclude the run with one of her four made three pointers on the afternoon.

Mercyhurst would continue to trail by three with 3:55 to play. Seton Hill (12-15, 8-13 PSAC) closed out the remaining four minutes outscoring the Lakers 10-5 down the stretch, to hold on for their second victory over Mercyhurst this year.


Kloecker led the Lakers in scoring, while Natalie Piaggesi added 18 on 9-of-13 shooting. Heintz also finished in double-digits with 12, going 4-for-4 from downtown and added three steals.

The Lakers would never lead during the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division matchup. They would hold two ties in the first half, knotting the game at 11 apiece when Alex Artise made her only triple of the day at the 15:06 mark. After Seton Hill answered with a jumper at the other end, Kloecker would follow with a jumper of her own to tie the game at 13. The Griffins would end the half on a 12-2 run, giving them a 12 point lead at the break. Mercyhurst is 0-13 when trailing at halftime this season.

As a team, Mercyhurst would finish 44.4% (28-63) from the field and went 9-of-22 (40.9%) from the behind the arc. The Griffins shot 53.8% (28-52) and also made nine three point field goals (9-18). The Lakers were outrebounded, 37-29, as Chelsea Apke recorded a double-double for the Griffins with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kelly Brennan paced Seton Hill with 20 points, while Mariah Wells added 18.