Pitt-Johnstown got 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists from
Olivia Fasick to charge back from a 17-point second half deficit to tie it late in the third quarter, but Mercyhurst regained the lead and was able to narrowly escape with a 63-58 PSAC Western Division victory over the Mountain Cats, Wednesday evening in Erie. Pitt-Johnstown is now 14-11 overall and 11-8 in conference-play.
Hayden Taylor scored 12 points and had five rebounds, while
Ashley Norling had a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 11 boards for the Mountain Cats. Pitt-Johnstown also got six points off the bench from
Cassidy Crawford and five points form
Peyton Alazaus.
Alazaus' jumper five minutes in cut an early Pitt-Johnstown deficit to two, but Mercyhurst answered with a 9-3 run, including seven of Grace Centrulla's 15 first quarter points, to open up a 17-9 advantage.
Pitt-Johnstown got a 3-pointer from Fasick early in the second quarter to get the Mountain Cats back to within five, but the Lakers got hot and hit three straight from behind the arc to push the lead out to 17 with 2:07 left in the half. A short jumper from
Makalyn Clapper and Taylor's free-throw helped Pitt-Johnstown make it 33-19 at the break.
Pitt-Johnstown stormed back in the third quarter with 47% shooting. The Mountain Cats extended the final three points to close out the first half in to a 21-4 run of their own. Molly Wagner's basket at 2:12 got it down to four, before Fasick connected on a 3-pointer, and Norling tied it at 37 with a bucket in the paint. Mercyhurst got a late layup from Lexi Wagner to take a slim, 39-37, advantage into the fourth quarter.
After the Lakers got the lead back out to six to start the quarter, Taylor connected on a 3-pointer for Pitt-Johnstown at 6:16 that made it a one-point game at, 43-42, but Mercyhurst got the lead back out to 10 and was able to withstand a late Mountain Cat run. Fasick hit another 3-pointer with :11 second to get it down to three, but Centrulla followed with two free-throws to secure the Lakers' win.
The Mountain Cats shot 37.9% (22-58) from the field, 6-13 from 3-point range, and 8-11 from the line. Mercyhurst ended the night shooting 42.0% (21-50), including 8-20 from behind the 3-point line, and 13-16 from the charity stripe.
Centrulla finished with a game-high 30 points and nine rebounds, and Danielle Grim added 13 points for the Lakers, now 14-11 overall and 10-9 in the PSAC.
Pitt-Johnstown will celebrate Senior Day with a PSAC doubleheader with the men's team against Edinboro, Saturday afternoon starting at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center, before hosting a conference doubleheader against California (PA) in the 2022-23 regular season home finale on Wednesday.
