Erie Pa.- Mercyhurst loses to the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers in a hard-fought game at home

How It Happened:

This evenings game was a battle from start to finish as Mount St. Mary's was quick to score from the whistle. Despite this, the Lakers did not back down and kept the game competitive throughout the entire first half. Mercyhurst's first points of the contest came from a foul by the Mountaineers, which Bailey Kuhns capitalized on for two points. This play was quickly followed by a driving layup by Jenna Van Schaik. Mercyhurst continued their relentless attack in the first with Kuhns going two for two from the line and another driving layup, this time from Allyson Ross who also closed scoring in the opening quarter with a corner three pointer, her first of five tonight. 

Ross was on fire the entirety of the game, starting the second quarter off with her second 3 point shot of the night, this time from distance. Van Schaik, Kuhns, and Hernandez also got on the board in the second quarter, Cici Hernandez scoring a critical three going into half to take the Lakers to a sixteen point deficit. The score going into halftime was 53-37, Mercyhurst trailing. 

Things started to heat up for the Lakers in the third quarter, as multiple players made game changing plays to close the gap going into the fourth. Kuhns, Van Schaik, and Ross continued their consistent scoring efforts, Ross hitting yet another crucial three pointer whilst other players such as Grace Clary, Grace Strickland, and Quinn Borroni came on, making immediate impacts. Strickland and Borroni hit back to back three point shots to make it a single-score game. The score going into the fourth quarter was 64-57, the Lakers closing in. 

The fourth quarter was a whirlwind, the Lakers hard work and persistent attack working in their favor. Though scoring remained back and forth, Allyson Ross hit yet another three pointer, taking Mercyhurst to their first lead of the evening with five minutes remaining in the game. Bailey Kuhns and Jenna Van Schaik put up multiple shots as well in the fourth, the combination of efforts across the board taking the Lakers to a lead by the end of the quarter. However, with extra time added due to a shooting foul, Mount St. Mary's was able to tie the game, taking us into overtime.

Though scoring was back and forth, the Lakers were not able to earn the win at home tonight, the final score of the game being 88-83, a close game and hard fought battle by Mercyhurst. 

Highlights:

Allyson Ross was dominant on the attack this evening. She had a double-double, totaling 26 points and 11 rebounds, 15 of her points coming from distance as she made 5 three's this evening. 

Bailey Kuhns came in close behind, having had a double-double herself with 25 points and 10 rebounds

Up Next:

The Lakers are set to host Allegheny College on Monday, December 30th at 6:00 pm, their last non-conference game of the season.