Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Women's Basketball falls in their home finale of the 2022-23 season. The team hosted Clarion, hoping to grab the win to help their playoff chances, but ended up being outscored 50-30 in the second half in the 74-69 loss.
How it Happened
First Quarter
Mercyhurst got off to a strong start on offense in this one with 18 points in the opening frame, taking an 18-13 lead into the second quarter. After dropping 30 points in their last game, Grace Centrulla got off to a good start with a layup to give Mercyhurst a 9-4 lead.
Second Quarter
The Lakers found their rhythm in the second period as they outscored Clarion by 10. Jayde Boyd and Lexi Wagner proved large in the frame for coach Kohlheim's crew, scoring six points apiece. Boyd looked to get it done inside.
While Wagner did her work from deep with a pair of threes, helping Mercyhurst take a 39-24 lead into the break.
Third Quarter
Clarion came out of the locker room as the aggressors as they won the third quarter by a score of 22-12. The Golden Eagles got to the free throw line frequently with them connecting every time as they went 8-8 from the stripe and pull within five points going into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter
Clarion's strong offensive effort did not slow down in the fourth period as they scored their most points of any frame in the final 10 minutes. The Golden Eagle's Sierra Bermudez found her rhythm as she scored 10 points in the period to help lift her team to the 74-69 win.
Highlights
Jayde Boyd led the way for the Lakers on offense with 26 points on 9-18 shooting while draining a pair of three-pointers. She added eight rebounds to her line to go along with three assists and two steals as well. She was joined in double-digits by Grace Centrulla with a dozen and Danielle Grim and Lexi Wagner who had 11.
Playoff Picture
With this loss, Mercyhurst moves to 14-12 on the season overall and 10-10 in the conference. They now sit tied for fourth in the tight PSAC West alongside Slippery Rock with The Rock owning the tiebreaker as they have defeated the Lakers twice this season.
Next Game
Mercyhurst goes on the road to close out their season next week as they travel to take on Seton Hill next Wednesday, February 22nd, and then make the short trip to Gannon to wrap up the season on Saturday with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m.
