ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team earned win number one for new head coach
Brooklyn Kohlheim as they knocked off the visiting Marauders of Millersville University by a 76-69 final in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opener for both teams at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers fell behind early with Lauren Lister scoring four quick points to make it 5-1.
Vivian Allison and
Nicolete Newman both stuck jumpers to cut the margin to 8-5 at the 5:03 mark, but Lister came right back down and scored her fifth and sixth points of the frame making it 10-5. After a steal from Allison,
Amber Renz and
Lauren Lapertosa delivered consecutive layups to get within 10-9.
Eliza Oswalt gave the host their first lead at 11-10, and she made sure they kept the lead going to the second with another layup with 15-seconds left for the 14-12 edge.
Mercyhurst continued thier push in the second using a 9-1 run that saw baskets by
Kori Sidwell,
Emily Shopene, Oswalt, and Lapertosa stretching the advantage to 23-13 with seven minutes to play. At the halfway point of the quarter the host moved the margin to eleven when
Julia Buchman spotted up from the mid-range to push it to 27-16. With the Lakers edge only at six 27-21, Buchman took it upon herself to score five consecutive points in a one-minute span to make it 32-21. Millersville tried to battle back with a triple from Olivia Mottern and a fastbreak basket for Lister trimming it to 32-26 with 2:52 left. The Marauders got no closer the remainder of the half as Mottern knocked down a three, but it was only good enough to make it 39-31 at the break.
Renz and Newman began the third with a 4-0 spurt to open it up to 43-31 and two minutes later another three by Oswalt made it 46-33 with 6:36 to go. The Lakers would lead by as many as 16 (51-35), at the 5:01 mark on a layup by Lapertosa. However, Lister would go on a personal 6-0 charge thanks to two converted "and one" opportunities to close to within ten 53-43 with 2:34 left. Mercyhurst pushed the edge to 12 three more times with the last one coming on an Allison layup (57-45), but a two for Chandera Jones-Aryeh and a triple by Courtney Dimoff at the buzzer had it to 57-50 through three.
A three from Newman 2:32 into the fourth made it 62-53, but then Mia Leonard sparked a 10-0 run finished off by a Mottern layup to give the guests a slim 63-62 cushion. A pair of Oswalt free throws moved the hosts back in front 64-63 with 6:05 gone. Over the next two minutes the game was on the seesaw with neither side taking more than a two-point lead as Millersville led 67-65 with 2:47 to go. From there the Lakers took control with Renz, Lapertosa, Oswalt, and Sidwell putting together an 11-2 run to close the game 76-69.
Mercyhurst shot 52.7% from the floor to Millersville 40.3%. The Lakers held a 40-32 edge in paint points and an outstanding 36-5 advantage off the bench.
Oswalt led the way with 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Renz also reached double-figures with ten points and five rebounds. Lapertosa had eight boards to lead the team and added eight points. Ten different Lakers recorded points.
Lister led the Marauders with 29, followed by 14 for Mottern.
Mercyhurst returns to action tomorrow afternoon at 1pm when they welcome the Shepherd Rams to the Athletic Center.
