Mercyhurst Escapes West Chester in Final Moments, 86-81; Four Players in Double-Figures

ERIE, Pa. – West Chester had four different players finish in double-figures, but host Mercyhurst would hold off the Golden Rams in the final moments to secure an 86-81 victory inside Mercyhurst Athletic Center Saturday afternoon. Mercyhurst (9-1, 5-0 PSAC) prevailed in the final 14 seconds as West Chester (2-6, 2-3 PSAC) was able to cut the deficit to one. The Lakers' Maria Lapertosa knocked down four consecutive free throws to seal the victory and keep Mercyhurst perfect in conference play. Despite the loss, junior Porscha Speller (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) continues to excel by matching a career high 27 points to along with four assists in the contest. The guard continues to get stronger as the season progresses, producing a 57.1 percentage from the field (8-14), while also being 60 percent from behind the arc (3-5). Additionally, Speller went 8-9 from the charity stripe for an 88.9 percentage. As a team, West Chester shot a season best 51.0 percent from the field (26-51). The Golden Rams hit a season high 7 three-pointers as well, registering a 41.2 percentage from downtown (7-17). Additionally, the team tallied an 81.5 percent from the free throw line (22-27). West Chester's Alexis Anderson (Allentown, Pa. / Louis E. Dieruff) was second on the squad in scoring, capturing 16 points with a pair of 3-pointers. Anderson did most of her damage at the free throw line, shooting 80 percent by being eight of 10 from the line. A pair of those shots from the line gave West Chester its last lead of the contest at the 2:27 mark in the fourth quarter. Mercyhurst would come storming back, capturing the lead 29 seconds later. From that point forward, the Lakers went on an 8-4 run down the stretch to obtain the conference win. Mercyhurst struggled offensively, but would capitalize by crashing the boards. The Lakers shot 42.2 percent from the field (27-64), but only managed 17.4 percent from behind the arc (4-23). However, the Lakers outrebounded the Golden Rams by 20 to allow second chance opportunities. On the offensive glass, Mercyhurst managed 20 boards compared to West Chester's four. Senior Tori Smick (Pilesgrove, N.J./Woodstown) chipped in 13 points and five rebounds. Meanwhile, junior Camden Boehner (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) found herself in double-figures for the second straight game, adding 12 points. Junior Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) accumulated nine points, eight rebounds, and five steals in 29 minutes of action for the Golden Rams. Torresin's five steals was the first time a Golden Ram has done that feat since both Brittany Sicinski & Dallas Ely accomplished it against Millersville on February 20th, 2016. West Chester has dropped its third straight game, but will look to get back on track as they head to the Campus Center Gymnasium next on the campus of Holy Family University for another non-conference matchup on Sunday, December 18th at 1 p.m. Game Notes West Chester snapped a four-game winning streak against the Lakers, putting the all-time record to 4-3. The Golden Rams last traveled to Erie back in 2014, defeating Mercyhurst by a final score of 63-57. Speller contributed 41 points in a pair of contests this week, which included 27 points against Mercyhurst which matched a career high. Torresin produced five steals in the contest, which was the first time a Golden Ram has done that feat since both Brittany Sicinski & Dallas Ely accomplished it at Millersville on February 20th, 2016. Boehner is starting to hit her stride, first dropping 14 points against Philadelphia University. She would follow that up with 12 in the PSAC matchup Saturday afternoon.