SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio. – The Mercyhurst women's basketball team fell 76-55 to West Liberty in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon.
Amber Renz led the Mercyhurst offense with 22 points she also contributed eight rebounds, and a steal.
Maria Lapertosa contributed 13 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Jamaya Shabazz added five points, while
Meghan Komendarek,
Stephanie Petery and
Rachel Chessar recorded four.
West Liberty was led by Brandi Deader who contributed 24 points, Johnie Olkosky contributed 11. McKenna Shives and Audrey tingle each contributed nine points apiece.
West Liberty (1-1) would grab the lead on the game's initial score on a three pointer from Olkosky and would hold that lead through the entirety of the game. West Liberty would stretch their lead to as much as 25 when they went up 53-28 in the third quarter.
Mercyhurst would whittle the Hill Toppers' lead down to as little as six when Petery hit a layup to bring the trailing Lakers to an 8-2 deficit.
Mercyhurst (0-2) would outscore West Liberty in the fourth quarter putting up 25 points to the 23 posted by the Hill Toppers.
West Liberty held an edge in shooting percentage going 25-for-57 (43.9%) from the field while the Lakers converted 19 of 57 attempts (33.3%). The Lakers went 3-for-10 (33.3%) from three point land while West Liberty went 12-for-30 (40%) from beyond the arc. The Lakers held an edge from the free throw line making 14 of 17 attempts (82.4%) while the Hill Toppers only converted 14 of 20 shots (70%).
Mercyhurst controlled the glass grabbing 39 rebounds compared to the 35 snatched by West Liberty. The teams were evenly matched on points in the paint with 26.
The Lakers will play next when they host their first home game against Cheyney in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action, at 1pm on Saturday in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
