CALIFORNIA, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball trailed 31-22 at the half, but outscored the host California University of Pennsylvania 25-9 out of the break to help them hold off the Vulcans 62-55 on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division play at the Convocation Center.
Cal jumped out to an 8-2 lead on buckets from Shauna Harrison, Bianca Jasper, and Lauren Bennett just 2:42 in.
Amber Renz and
Emily Shopene hit back-to-back layups to close the gap to 8-6, but a a triple from Halle Herrington followed by a jumper for Brionna Allen pushed the hosts edge to five at 13-8 with 3:53 to play. The Vulcans closed the opening frame on a 7-4 push with both Lakers baskets coming from Shopene to make it 20-12.
Five straight points by Shopene brought the visitors to within 20-17 at the 3:28 mark. Following a Harrison three to extend the Vulcans edge to 23-17, Renz laid one in leaving the deficit at four. Bennett, Jasper, and Herrington stretched the Cal lead to double-digits, 29-19 with 7:28 gone. A
Vivian Allison layup and a
Nicolete Newman foul shot left the Lakers down 31-22 at halftime.
Jumpers by Harrison and Jasper in the opening two-plus minutes of the third leaving Mercyhurst behind 35-22. Howerver, the Lakers responded in a big way embarking on a 10-2 charge over a 2:02 span thanks to three-pointers by
Kori Sidwell and Newman along with four points from Renz to move the visiting team closer to 35-32. Renz netted eight points as Mercyhurst capped off the frame with a 12-8 run to lead 47-40 through 30-minutes.
Julia Buchman and Newman each drilled triples early in the fourth to give the Lakers a 12-point cushion, 54-42. The Vulcans tried to climb back into the game with an 8-1 push thanks in part to four points from Jasper which cut the defict to 55-50 with 2:43 to go. Mercyhurst outpaced the hosts 7-5 over the rest of the game to finish off the 62-55 win.
The Lakers shot 53.2% from the floor, 50% outside the arc, and 53.8% on the foul line. Cal went 34.8% in the field, 21.4% from deep along with 60% at the charity line. Mercyhurst held a 38-32 edge in paint points, and 14-10 off the bench.
Renz led the team with 21 points, six boards, and a block. Shopene and Newman joined her in double-digits with 16 and 12 respectively.
Lauren Lapertosa added five points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Herrington (11) and Jasper (10) led the Vulcans in scoring. Bennett and Harrison each chipped in nine.
Mercyhurst returns to play on Wednesday, January 29 when they host local foe Edinboro University at 5:30 pm in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
