Slippery Rock, Pa – Mercyhurst Women's Basketball comes up short against Slippery Rock on the road. Despite great fight, the Rock defeats the Lakers by a score of 67-52.

 
First Half

The game was very competitive from the very beginning, as both teams kept knocking down shots and pushing the ball in transition. A three-pointer by Julia Buchman gave the Lakers a two-point lead, 13-11 as they looked to gain the advantage.

The Rock got on a roll and overtook the Lakers, extending their lead to eight points at 23-15. Jayde Boyd stopped the scoring drought got the ball and used a nice hesitation move to score a layup, 17-23.

Slippery Rock continued in the second as they increased their lead to as many as 13 points. Danielle Grim went inside and scored an and-one bucket to minimize the deficit to ten, 27-37. Despite great Laker efforts, the Rock won the first half by a score of 39-30.

Second Half

The Lakers started the second half well, as Boyd penetrated inside to score from under the rim making the score 39-34. A couple of minutes later, Grim faked out her defender with a spin move and scored a hook shot, to bring the Lakers within three points of The Rock, 41-44.

Lexi Wagner got the ball from Ava Waid and finished the third quarter with a nice layup, 46-52. Slippery Rock regained control in the fourth as despite good Mercyhurst defense they kept scoring and kept their lead at around ten points. The Lakers fought hard but couldn't cut their lead down, as the Rock won the game by a score of 67-52.

Highlights

Grace Centrulla led the charge with 17 points and seven rebounds, and was helped by Danielle Grim with 11. The Rock's Middleton sisters were the difference makers, as they combined for 50 points for their team. They also got to the line often, as they shot 22 free throws.

Playoff Picture

With today's loss, the Lakers significantly lowered their chances of making playoffs, as they are now 8-9 and sit in eighth place in the PSAC West standings. With five games remaining in the regular season, they must win most of them to have a chance of qualifying for postseason play.

Next Game

The Lakers return home on Saturday, February 11th, to take on Cal (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m.