ERIE, Pa. --
Nicolete Newman was one of five Mercyhurst scorers in double-figures, finishing with 21 points, as the Mercyhurst women's basketball team defeated Seton Hill, 88-66, in a PSAC contest on Saturday at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
Meghan Komendarek added 16 points and
Eliza Oswalt had 14 points for Mercyhurst (9-15, 6-11).
Rachel Chessar and
Amber Renz chipped in with 11 points apiece. Komendarek also finished with nine rebounds while
Lauren Lapertosa,
Emily Shopene and
Kori Sidwell dished six, five and four assists, repectively. Sidwell made four steals.
Megan Marecic led SHU (15-10, 9-9) with 23 points and eight rebounds. Lexi Civittolo and Courtney Cecere added 14 and 11 points, repectively.
The visiting Griffins took an early four-point lead before MU took command of the contest. The Lakers went on a 9-0 run late in the first quarter, getting four points from Renz during that stretch, and took the lead for good.
Mercyhurst led 22-15 after the opening quarter and pushed its advantage to 12 points before SHU closed the gap to three on three occasions.
The Lakers held a 41-34 lead at halftime and led by as many as 10 in the third quarter before going on a decisive 11-point run, which began in the third and ended in the fourth. Chessar had five points and Komendarek put in four duing that stretch. The Lakers led by as many as 23 in the fourth.
MU led the battle on the boards with a 43-34 rebound advantage. The Lakers shot 45.2 percent from the field (33 of 73) while SHU went for 37.7 percent (23 of 61).
Mercyhurst now sits 1 1/2 games out of a playoff spot behind fifth-place teams Slippery Rock and Pittsburgh-Johnstown, which are both 8-10 in the PSAC West. Gannon is seventh with a 7-11 conference record -- one-half game ahead of the Lakers. The Top 6 teams in the West Division qualify for the PSAC Tournament.
The Lakers will be in action next when they host PSAC opponent California (Pa.) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The Lakers will also celebrate lone senior
Emilee Norris on Senior Night.
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