Lock Haven, Pa.—For the second night in a row, the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team trailed by one possession in the final minute but saw their opponent close things down with success at the free-throw line, this time dropping a road contest at Lock Haven Saturday.
In a game that in many ways resembled Friday's loss to Shippensburg, the Lakers again got out to an early lead as they finished the first quarter up 14-8.
After Lock Haven got on the board first, the Lakers responded with a pair of three-pointers from Meghan Komendarek and Grace Centrulla to take a 6-2 lead. After a nearly three-minute stretch where neither team could score, the Bald Eagles posted five points before the final run put Mercyhurst back on top.
The teams played nearly even in the second quarter, with Mercyhurst heading to the locker room up 26-21.
As the game wore on, the Bald Eagles offense became more potent, while Mercyhurst's began to stagnate. Lock Haven's offense was bolstered by its bench, which scored 24 points in the contest, while Mercyhurst's bench provided just two points.
Despite getting outscored 21-15 in the third quarter, the Lakers still had fight in them as they trailed by just one heading into the final frame.
Mercyhurst quickly seized on the Bald Eagles as Jayde Boyd tied the game and gave the Lakers the lead after an early foul. A layup from Centrulla put Mercyhurst up by three, but the Bald Eagles clawed back to take the lead once again.
Mercyhurst would tie the game at 47-47 with six minutes left, and they continued to press to keep the score close as Lock Haven tried to build out its lead. At 1:16, Mercyhurst made it a one-point game after a jumper by Centrulla.
From there, Mercyhurst was forced to turn to the foul game once again, and Lock Haven took full advantage as they made 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in just the final minute and the Lakers failed to add to their score.
Mercyhurst struggled with turnovers during the game, giving the ball away 17 times which lead to 24 points for the Bald Eagles. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst could only convert seven turnovers into five points.
Centrulla led all players with 27 points, and added eight defensive rebounds and three blocks to her line as well. Komendarek finished with 12 points, and Boyd and Emily Shopene each finished with nine rebounds to lead the Lakers.
With the loss, Mercyhurst fell to 0-2 in PSAC play and 1-6 overall.
Up Next
Mercyhurst will take a short break from PSAC play next week as they head to Salem University Wednesday, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
