ERIE, Pa. --
Amber Renz and
Emily Shopene finished with 16 points apiece as the Mercyhurst women's basketball team overcame a 24-point deficit to defeat Kutztown in a non-conference contest on Tuesday at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
Shopene also had five assists while
Nicolete Newman totaled 13 points and four steals. Renz was the leading rebounder with eight boards while
Meghan Komendarek grabbed seven rebounds.
Kutztown (3-7) was led by Rylee Derr, who had 23 points and eight rebounds.
The visiting Kutztown squad held a 20-7 lead through the first quarter -- courtesy of a pair of nine-point runs -- and continued to widen the gap in the second period.
The Bears added another 9-0 stretch in the second quarter en route to a 35-20 halftime lead and then scored the first nine points of the third to push their advantage to 44-20. From that point, the host Lakers outscored KU, 54-26.
The comeback began with a 38-7 stretch, which Renz led with all 16 of her points. Mercyhurst took the lead for good on a Renz layup and free throw, which left the Lakers with a 53-51 advantage.
MU led by as many as seven, widening the margin to 58-51, before Kutztown battled back. The Lakers held the lead the rest of the way. During the final 90 seconds, Mercyhurst was 13 of 14 from the free-throw line (
Eliza Oswalt, 7-8; Shopene, 6-6).
The Lakers (3-7) will return to action on Wednesday with a 1 p.m. PSAC home game against Mansfield.
Tickets:Â $6 for adults, $3 for non-Mercyhurst students, free for Mercyhurst students, free for children 6-and-under.
