ERIE, Pa. --
Natalie Piaggesi scored 19 points and blocked three shots to become the Mercyhurst women's basketball program's all-time leader in career blocks during the Lakers' 73-57 victory over cross-town rival Gannon during Saturday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference game at the Hammermill Center. Mercyhurst's win -- paired with an Edinboro loss -- moved the Lakers into the West Division's No. 3 seed in the PSAC Tournament.
Piaggesi, who also had nine rebounds and three steals, pushed her career block total to 173. She broke a tie with Teresa Szumigala, who had 170 in 1991-95.
Angela Heintz contributed a double-double effort for Mercyhurst, finishing with 12 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
Jalin Steel added 18 points,
Maria Lapertosa put in 13 points and
Emilee Norris grabbed seven rebounds.
With the win, the Lakers (22-6, 17-5) matched the second-highest win total in program history (22-7 in 1988-89). The program record for wins was recorded in 1994-95, when Mercyhurst went 24-6 in 1994-95.
Gannon was led in scoring by Maggie Mitchell, who had 19 points. Lanise Sanders totaled a double-double worth 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The host Golden Knights (9-19, 9-13) led for most of the first half, going up six in the first quarter. Mercyhurst had a short 5-0 run in the second period -- a Lapertosa layup and Heintz three-pointer -- to pull even at 26-26, but Gannon quickly regained the lead and and took a 30-29 lead into halftime.
The Lakers answered with a strong second half, scoring the first five points of the third quarter. After a pair of lead changes, Mercyhurst took the lead for good with a 7-0 streak.
Jessica Bell and Piaggesi had layups before Steel capped the run with a trey.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run that left them with their largest advantage at 64-47. Lapertosa had five points during that stretch.
Mercyhurst held a 42-28 rebound advantage and went 25 of 55 from the field (45.5 percent) while holding the Knights to a 17-for-52 performance (32.7 percent).
The Lakers will host their first home playoff game since March 11, 1995, when Clarion visits the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Monday for a PSAC Tournament First Round contest. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
