SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team knew what was in front of them on Saturday afternoon.  A win on the road at Slippery Rock and a little bit of help would be enough to send the Lakers to the PSAC Tournament.  The team did their part as three players hit double-figures in the Lakers 75-65 triumph over the Rock at Morrow Field House in PSAC West action.  

Karington Ketterer got the home team on the board first 29-seconds in, but the Lakers grab their first lead of the game two possessions later as Amber Renz buried one from deep.  The teams continued to trade baskets over the next couple of minutes with Renz accounting for all the visiting offense scoring five straight to leave them in front 7-6 with 7:21 left.  Mercyhurst put a little bit of distance between the sides with a 6-2 run with four points coming from Julia Buchman to open up a 13-8 edge at the halfway point.  After a pull-up jumper by Brooke Hinderliter and a triple from Madison Johnsome the game was level 13-13.  Ketterer would hit a pair at the line in the final seconds of the first quarter to lead 17-15 after one. 

It took almost two minutes for someone to score in the second as Renz hit a layup to knot the score 17-17.  Buchman and Renz scored the next three at the charity line to bump the lead to 20-17, but Ketterer, Hinderliter and Johnson responded with a 7-3 push to go back in front 24-23 with 6:30 left.  After a pair on the line from Hinderliter, Lauren Lapertosa responded with a triple from the top of the key making it 26-26.  Emily Shopene and Renz cashed in at the line to grab a 29-28 edge, but Daeja Quick answered back with a layup to reclaim the lead 30-29.  A triple from Shopene and four straight by Kori Sidwell, including a turnaround buzzer-beating jumper to make it 36-30 at the break.    

Johnson and Renz exchanged layups to maintain the six-point cushion 38-32, but the Rock answered back on baskets from LeeAnn Gibson and Quick to trim the gap to 38-36.  An "old-fashioned" three-point play by Buchman along with a layup from Shopene upped the Lakers lead to 43-36 with 5:28 remaining.  A Gibson basket stalled the momentum for a moment, before Sidwell split a pair on the line to make it 44-38 at the media timeout.  The next two minutes would go by scoreless before Lapertosa knocked down two on the line, which was matched a minute later by Johnson keeping the score 46-41 with 2:49 to play.  The Lakers got two from Newman, a pair by Buchman, and a triple for Newman to outscore the hosts 7-5 down the stretch to lead 53-46 through 30-minutes.  

Meghan Komendarek scored in the paint and Shopene hit from deep to open up a 58-48 cushion with 7:53 left.  A Sidwell layup kept the advantage at double-figures 60-50, but Johnson, Quick, Hinderliter and Ketterer came right back with five straight to close the gap to 60-55 at the 4:05 mark.  Hinderliter and Ketterer continued the Rock push cutting the deficit to 60-58, but Newman scored two paint baskets and Renz delivered from deep to extend the margin to 67-58 with 3:51 left.  Renz and Gibson traded buckets leaving the Lakers in front 69-61 under two minutes left.  Renz and Newman provided the rest of the Mercyhurst attack as they outscored the Rock 6-4 the rest of the way for the 75-65 final.  

Mercyhurst shot 37.9% from the field, 46.7% outside the arc, and 75% on the foul line.  Slippery Rock was 32.8% from the floor, 16.7% from deep and 66.7% at the charity line.  The Lakers held a 52-43 edge in rebounds and outscored the Rock in the paint 36-32.  

Renz had 28 points and nine rebounds.  Shopene and Buchman added 12 and 10 respectively.  Lapertosa and Newman both dropped eight.  Sidwell chipped in seven points and snagged a team-high 16 rebounds.  

Slippery Rock got all their points from their starting five as Hiderliter put up 16, while Quick (15), Johnson (13), Gibson (11), and Ketterer (10) rounded out the scoring.  

Postseason Charge Comes Up Short
Unfortunately, even with the Lakers win today, Mercyhurst falls just short of the playoffs.   The results of earlier games between California (Pa.) and Gannon; as well as Seton Hill and Edinboro led to the Lakers and SHU tying at 8-14 in conference.  Unfortunately, the tiebreakers between the two teams favor Seton Hill.  The Griffins win today against Edinboro (2-seed), was enough to put them over the hump as the Lakers best conference win came against California (Pa.) who landed as the three seed.