ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst Lakers women's basketball team narrowly defeated the West Chester Golden Rams on Saturday December 12^th with a score of 86-81. With this win the Lakes extend they win streak to four games, while having a record of 9-1 while remaining undefeated at 5-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play.
 
The score was tight between the Lakers and Golden Rams with no team gaining more than a five-point lead over the other. There were 13 total lead changes in the game, 11 of which came in the second half alone.
  
The teams were evenly matched through the first half of play with both teams scoring 40. The Lakers led the scoring 21-18 in the first quarter, while the Golden Rams took a 22-19 scoring advantage in the second quarter. Scoring in the first half was led by senior Heintz posting 16 points, she shot 7-11 (64%) from the floor and 2-4 (50%) from the beyond the three point line.
 
During the third quarter the lead changed between the teams a total of seven times. Ending with the Lakers in front by two points. The largest lead in the quarter was a 64-60 advantage for Mercyhurst which came with 29 seconds remaining after two good free throws from Heintz.
 
In the final quarter, the Lakers trailed by one with less than two minutes less left in play, where two successful free throws from Maria Lapertosa took the lead for the Lakers. The Lakers we able to hold off the Golden Rams with a good jumper shot from Angela Heintz and four more good free throws from Lapertosa pushed the team to a five point victory in the dwindling seconds of game.
 
Heintz led Mercyhurst with 22 points on a day where five Lakers scored in double figures. Natalie Piaggesi finished with 20 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Lapertosa did not make a shot from the field but went 10-10 from the free throw line, finishing with a total of 10 points. West Chester Porscha Speller led game scoring with 27 game where she went 8-14 from the field.
 
The Lakers will take the court next on December 17^th against West Virginia Wesleyan College at home, at 1 PM.