Edinboro, Pa. – The Edinboro women's basketball team stifled visiting Mercyhurst on their way to a 63-49 PSAC West victory Wednesday night inside McComb Fieldhouse.
The Scots limited Mercyhurst to 30.9 percent shooting from the field. They forced 15 Laker turnovers and outrebounded Mercyhurst 42-25.
Despite 10 turnovers in the first quarter, Edinboro held a 12-11 lead after a
Hayley Sims 3-pointer and
Ashten Boggs layup to end the opening frame.
The Scots went to work in the second opening the quarter on a 10-2 run capped by a Boggs layup at the 4:29 mark. Maria McConnell hit a jumper to and
Lauren Mullen hit two free throws to keep the lead at nine. Allyson Ross cut the lead to seven, 24-17, after hitting two free throws of her own.
Maura Suman and Boggs each hit jumpers to extend the Edinboro lead to 28-17 with 1:53 to play in the second. Julia Buchman hit a triple for the Lakers, but the final four points of the half went to the Scots on a Sims layup and two Mullen free throws to send Edinboro into the half leading 32-20.
Mercyhurst came out of the break fast using a 9-2 run to cut the Edinboro lead to 34-29 on a Bailey Kuhns layup with 6:13 on the clock in the third. The Scots answered back with 6-2 spurt of their own keyed by an and-one from Boggs at 3:30 to make it 40-31.
The Lakers clawed back to within five on a Danielle Grim 3-pointer with 1:02 left in the third finishing a 7-3 run and cutting the lead to 43-38.
Morgan Gentile responded with a 3-pointer of her own and Sims connected on a jumper at the buzzer to push the Scots ahead 48-38 after three.
In the fourth, Mercyhurst would get as close as 54-49 after a Buchman layup with 4:50 to play, but the Scots put the clamps on defensively holding the Lakers scoreless over the final 4:50 to secure the victory.
Sims paced the Scots with 22 points to go with five rebounds and two blocks. Boggs stuffed the stat sheet with a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds as well as three steals. Gentile chipped in nine points, four assists and four rebounds.
Buchman was the leading scorer for the Lakers with 14 points. Grim added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The Scots return to action on Saturday when they host IUP in their annual Hoops for Harlie game. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.
