ERIE, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst women's basketball team dropped a 76-56 contest to 18th-ranked California (Pa.) in PSAC action on Wednesday at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
Nicolete Newman was the Lakers' leading scorer, totaling 13 points.
Emily Shopene added 11 points and eight rebounds while
Kori Sidwell grabbed 12 rebounds for MU (9-16, 6-12).
Seairra Barrett and Abbey Sporio scored 15 points apiece for the Vulcans (21-3, 15-3) while Bianca Jasper had 13. Barrett grabbed eight rebounds.
Mercyhurst trailed for most of the contest after taking an early 4-2 lead. Cal led 26-11 through one quarter and led by as many as 28 points in the second before taking a 51-24 advantage into halftime.
Mercyhurst's best period was the third as it outscored the visitors, 22-10, and trimmed the deficit to 61-46.
Meghan Komendarek had six points while Sidwell put in five during the quarter.
The Lakers closed the gap to 13 in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as they got.
MU held a 41-31 edge in rebounds, but struggled from the field, shooting 20 of 53 (37.7 percent). The Vulcans were 31 of 67 from the field (46.3).
The Lakers will return to action on Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. contest at cross-town rival Gannon in a Porreco Pride of Erie matchup. Mercyhurst currently sits 1 1/2 games out of a PSAC Tournament berth with three games to play.
