Erie Pa. - In a historic night for Mercyhurst Women's Basketball, the Lakers earned their first ever NEC win against the Le Moyne College Dolphins.
How It Happened:
As the Lakers set out to earn their first-ever NEC victory tonight against Le Moyne College, a team this program has not faced in seventeen years, both teams struggled to find success for the first three minutes of the first quarter. However, once the first bucket was made, a three-pointer from distance, shot by Allyson Ross, Mercyhurst hit their stride. Ross sunk two threes in the first quarter, her second closing out the Lakers's 10-0 run. Seven-time NEC Prime Performer, Bailey Kuhns, also contributed to the team's offensive success, alongside Jenna Van Schaik.
Van Schaik got the Lakers on the board first in the second quarter of tonight's matchup with a layup, and Kuhns followed with a layup of her own shortly after. Additionally, Sophia Kelly got her first points of the season this quarter, sinking a three almost immediately after stepping on the court. The Lakers' severe attack helped them keep the lead in the second quarter; the score going into halftime was 25-23.
Coming out of the break, the Dolphins offense began to battle back, but impressive efforts from Kelly, Ross, and Hernandez ensured the Lakers stayed on top. Kelly hit a jumper, two minutes into the third quarter, giving Mercyhurst a four-point lead. Shortly after, the Lakers hit four consecutive three-pointers, the first by Allyson Ross, her third of the evening. The final three came from Cici Hernandez. Hernandez, coming off of a breakout game against Stonehill where she led Mercyhurst in points, the bulk of them coming from her five three-pointers, had yet another impactful game from above the arch.
Going into the fourth quarter, leading 41-39, the Lakers kept up the intensity, starting off scoring with a driving layup from Lauryn Stover. Scoring remained consistent throughout the game's final minutes as we saw points from Ross, Kuhns, Van Schaik, and Stover. The final seven points all came from the free-throw line. The final score of this Laker W was 63-52.
Highlights:
Allyson Ross lead the Lakers in points this evening, scoring 16 total. She also lead in rebounds with 7. Bailey Kuhns followed closely with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Cici Hernandez led the Lakers in assists with 4.
Up Next:
The Lakers are set to take on FDU at home on Saturday, January 11th at 1:00 pm!
You can tune into the game via NEC Frontrow!
