Clarion, Pa.—Shaking off the rust after a bye weekend, the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team got off to a slow start that they couldn't overcome in Monday's 72-55 loss at Clarion.
How it Happened
Clarion got off to an early lead with a hot start, forcing Mercyhurst to use their first timeout at 4:07 in the first quarter when the Golden Eagles led 19-8. The Lakers defense tightened down, with neither team scoring for nearly three minutes before the Lakers cut the lead to nine points at the end of the quarter.
Four points from Julia Buchman kick-started the Mercyhurst offense in the second quarter, helping them outscore Clarion 19-16 to further cut into the lead by halftime.
Both teams struggled after emerging from the locker room, with each of them shooting 31 percent from the floor in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles made both of their free-throws in the quarter to make the difference as they led 49-41 with 10 minutes to go.
The Lakers turned to the foul game in the final minutes, but a combination of Clarion going 12-14 from the charity stripe and Mercyhurst shooting 20 percent from the floor kept the game out of reach.
By the Numbers
Clarion boasted an aggressive ranged attack, taking nearly half of their shots from beyond the arc and making 43 percent of their three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst was able to knock down just one of their 12 three-point attempts.
Buchman led the Lakers with 16 points, followed by Grace Centrulla's 11 points. Emily Shopene led the rebounding effort with seven to go with her six points.
Up Next
Mercyhurst will remain on the road as they travel to Slippery Rock Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
