Painesville, Oh. – Mercyhurst Women's Basketball grabs their third-straight double-digit win with this one coming Saturday afternoon over the Lake Erie Strom. The Lakers used a dominant third quarter to help them take control and cruise to a 76-66 win to move to 5-3.

How It Happened

Lake Erie started the game well as they jumped out to the early lead, winning the first quarter by three points, 15-12. The Lakers stepped on the gas in the second, as Paige Woodford and Grace Centrulla went to work, going on an efficient scoring run to help the Lakers make a push at the end of the first half.

Woodford knocked down three long-distance shots while Centrulla added 11 points of her own in the first half of the game to pace Mercyhurst. The Lakers won the second quarter by eight points to help them claim the advantage, going into the break with a slight lead, 40-35.

Mercyhurst caught fire in the third as Centrulla knocked down two three-pointers and freshman Jenna Van Schaik made an acrobatic layup, putting her squad in a 13-point lead at 56-43 with 3:01 to go in the third.

The Storm did not go away quietly as they tried to make a comeback in the final frame. Lake Erie went on the scoring run in the fourth, fueled by a good performance by Abby Matalavage, but the Lakers held onto their lead and eventually won the game by a score of 76-66, moving on to 5-3 on the season.

By The Numbers

Grace Centrulla led the charge with 19 points on 54% shooting and recorded a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks. She was helped by Paige Woodford with 17 points and Julia Buchman, scorer of 11. The Lakers did a good job sharing the ball and defending their opponents, as they forced 14 turnovers and held them to only 38% shooting.

What's Next

Mercyhurst comes back home on Sunday, December 18th as they take on Shippensburg, with a tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m