EDINBORO, Pa. (February 27, 2016) -- The Edinboro women's basketball team used an impressive getaway to advance to a PSAC Tournament quarterfinal meeting with top-seeded California(Pa.) on Saturday afternoon, handing fifth-seed Mercyhurst a 61-42 defeat in a first-round contest at McComb Fieldhouse. The fourth-seeded Fighting Scots reached twenty wins for the sixth straight season and are now 20-9. Mercyhurst finished the season at 14-15.

Mercyhurst would jump out to a 5-2 lead less than two minutes into the game, but 3-pointers by Michelle Jahn and Lauren Hippo gave Edinboro the lead for good. Edinboro ended the first period on a 17-2 run, scoring the final 12 points of the quarter for a 25-9 lead after ten minutes. For good measure, the Fighting Scots scored the first basket of the second quarter for a string of 14 consecutive points.

During the first quarter alone, Edinboro forced five Mercyhurst turnovers, leading to an 11-0 advantage in points off turnovers. After missing their first three 3-point attempts to start the game, the Fighting Scots made five straight to end the quarter, with Hippo and Jahn making three of those.
 

The Fighting Scots played a near perfect first half while jumping out to a twenty-point lead at 37-17. They shot 60.0 percent from the floor (15-of-25), including 7-of-12 on 3-pointers (58.3 pct.). Mercyhurst, meanwhile, shot just 31.8 percent (7-of-22) and were just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. In addition, the Lakers committed 10 turnovers.

Mercyhurst would never pull closer than 17 points the rest of the game, with Edinboro's lead growing to as much as 24 points on two occasions.

Katie Fischer again tormented her former teammates, as the junior guard finished with a game-high 18 points, adding six assists and seven steals. She made 7-of-11 shots from the floor, including a 3-pointer, and was 3-of-4 from the line.

Hippo provided the real impetus in the first half, scoring all 14 of her points while making four 3-pointers. The senior guard would move into 26^th place in career scoring with 1,077 points.

Jahn turned in a strong showing in her first postseason action. The freshman guard made 6-of-10 field goals, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, to end the day with 15 points. Whitney Allen pulled down 11 rebounds.

Natalie Piaggesi was the lone Laker in double figures with 14 points and also led the Lakers with nine rebounds. No other Laker scored more than seven points. 

Edinboro shot 47.1 percent for the game (24-of-51), making 8-of-17 3-pointers. Mercyhurst, meanwhile, never warmed up, finishing at 32.0 percent (16-of-50). The Lakers made just 2-of-19 from beyond the arc. Mercyhurst would hold a slight 33-31 advantage on the glass, but committed 19 turnovers compared to 13 for Edinboro. The Fighting Scots held a 23-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Now the Fighting Scots play at top-seeded California(Pa.) on Tuesday. The two teams split the regular season meetings this year.