Erie, PA- After securing their seventh straight victory with a win over West Chester, who is currently ranked ninth in the nation, the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team continued their dominance with another PSAC win over Millersville after a big second half. The Lakers have now won their first four conference games, as they improve their overall record to 8-2 and their conference record to 4-0.
How it Happened:
It was a tale of two halves in this one. To start the contest, the Marauders earned a five-point lead until Grace Clary hit a jumper to get the Lakers going. Millersville then began pounding the ball inside. Every trip down the floor, the Marauders looked to pick and roll with their bigs. If there wasn't a pick and roll, Millersville would wait for their post players to get deep into the paint for easy entry passes. As they successfully executed, they earned a 23-16 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The Lakers' main offensive threat, Bailey Kuhns, found herself in foul trouble throughout the first half, which caused Danielle Grim to pick up the slack. Grim found success taking her defender off the dribble. Grim knocked down mid-range jumpers and found her way to the rim to keep her team in the game. Lauren Klare hit a three and knocked down a mid-range jumper in the quarter as well. Heading into the half, the Lakers trailed 39-29.
Brooklyn Kohlheims group made obvious adjustments to start the second half. The defensive intensity saw an uptick, and so did the Mercyhurst scoring. The Lakers held Millersville to just five points in the 3rd quarter. Bailey Kuhns also found her stride on the offensive end. After being held to 2 points in the first half, Kuhns exploded for 18 in the second half.
The Lakers were equally as effective in the fourth quarter, holding Millersville to only 9 points. Jenna Van Shaik and Julia Buchman provided energy on the defensive end, capturing loose balls and taking charges, as it proved to be too much for the Marauders.
As Millersville started to make any type of run, Mercyhurst was there to answer. As the Marauders hopes started to dwindle, the Lakers put a stamp on the win with threes from Julia Buchman and Lauren Klare. As the whistles blew, the Lakers captured their eighth straight win, 70-53.
Highlights:
Mercyhurst continued to shoot it productively, shooting 46% from the field. The Lakers also shot 40% from beyond the arc and 85% from the foul line.
Bailey Kuhns once again led all scorers with 20 points to go along with 4 rebounds. Danielle Grim and Lauren Klare both chipped in with 13 as Julia Buchman tallied 12 in the win.
Ava Waid contributed great minutes in her spot start posting 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Up Next:
The Lakers will round out the month of December with a road game on the 30th as they travel to Shepherdstown, West Virginia to take on Shepherd University. The game is slated for 1:00 PM.
