ERIE, Pa. – Sophomore Kori Sidwell's (Zanesville, Ohio) only two points of the game were big ones, as she hit two free throws with one second to play to lift Mercyhurst University to a 60-59 victory over Daemen College in women's basketball action here tonight.
Mercyhurst, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, improved to 3-4 with the win, while Daemen dropped to 2-6.
Senior Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) and sophomore Sarah Young (Depew, N.Y./St. Bonaventure) both registered a double-double for the visiting Wildcats. Saba totaled 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. It marked the the third time in the past five games—and the 25th time over her four-year career—that Saba has scored 20 or more points. She is now five points shy of 1,400 for her career. Young connected on 6-of-7 shots, scored a career-high 14 points and also grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds (nine offensive). Sophomore Sydney Jones (Clifton Springs, N.Y./Midlakes) made 3-of-6 from three-point land and netted 11 points.
Sophomore Amber Renz (Danville, Pa.) paced the Lakers with 20 points, while junior Emilee Norris (Clay, N.Y.) added 12 points and six rebounds.
Mercyhurst held a 7-4 lead midway through the first quarter when Renz accounted for all six points during a 6-2 run. Her three-pointer with 2:52 left in the quarter capped the run and gave the hosts a 13-6 lead. The Lakers went scoreless for the rest of the frame, and Daemen got a jumper and layup from Saba to cut the lead to 13-10 after the quarter.
The hosts opened the second quarter with a three-pointer by junior Maria Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and a jumper by Renz, and the Lakers later took their largest lead of the first half, 25-16, following a triple by freshman Rachel Chessar (Hudson, Ohio) with 6:33 left before halftime. Daemen cut the lead to three following back-to-back three-pointers by Jones. The teams traded baskets down the stretch and Mercyhurst took a 32-26 lead into halftime after Chessar drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The Mercyhurst lead was four points, 34-30, two minutes into the third quarter, when the Lakers regained a double-digit lead following back-to-back three-pointers by Lapertosa. The lead was 11 points, 42-31, when Daemen got two free throws and a layup from Young to make it a seven-point game (42-35) midway through the third quarter. Neither team scored for the next three minutes, and Daemen eventually cut the lead to three points, 44-41, by outscoring the Lakers 6-2 over the final two minutes of the quarter.
The Lakers scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and the lead bounced between eight and four points until a three-pointer by Jones made it a three-point game, 58-55, with 2:11 to play. Neither team scored until the 53 second mark, when Saba scored following offensive rebound by Young. MU came up empty on it next possession, and Saba was fouled with 18 seconds left. The senior made both free throws, giving Daemen its first lead of the game at 59-58—setting up Sidwell's decisive free throws with one second left.
Daemen shot 32-percent (23-for-71) from the field overall and went 6-of-19 (32%) from three-point land. The Wildcats attempted eight free throws and made seven. MU shot 44-percent (23-52) from the field overall and made 7-of-19 (37%) from downtown. The Lakers also went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Daemen collected 27 offensive rebounds in the game—which led to a 16-8 advantage in second-chance points. The Wildcats finished with a commanding 48-29 edge in total rebounds.
The Wildcats are idle until Dec. 8 when they open East Coast Conference play by hosting St. Thomas Aquinas College.
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