Box Score

ERIE, PA –Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) scored a team-high 15 points but too many fouls doomed IUP as the 20th-ranked Crimson Hawks fell to Mercyhurst 73-64 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

It was the Crimson Hawks' second consecutive loss as they fall to 11-3 overall and an even 2-2 in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst improves to 4-10 and 2-2.

This was Mathe's first action in over a month as she returned to the court after missing seven games with an injury. Fouling out after playing just 22 minutes off the bench, she went 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, and finished 5-of-5 from the foul line.

Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center), also dealing with injury, scored 12 points in 24 minutes off the bench. She went 4-of-5 from the field and had two assists. Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) added 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.

The Crimson Hawks had a hot-shooting first half, going 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the field, making 4-of-5 three point shots, and only turned it over four times. However, Mercyhurst was just as hot, going 17-of-30 (56.7 percent) from the field, draining six three-pointers and finishing 6-of-9 from the charity stripe to grab a 46-37 lead at the break.

IUP led just once during the afternoon, grabbing an 11-10 advantage after a Stoner bucket at the 14:50 mark in the first half.

With the game tied at 16-16 just a few minutes later, the Lakers reeled off a 14-2 run to take a 12-point lead with just under eight minutes in the half. They would lead by as many as 16 points before IUP scored the final seven to go into the half down by that nine-point spread.

The Mercyhurst lead hovered around double-digits for the first few minutes of the second half until the Crimson Hawks scored 10 straight points, including five from the hands of Zhane Brooks (Erie, Pa. /Villa Maria), to cut their deficit to 53-50 with 12:50 on the clock.

Unfortunately for the Crimson Hawks, that would be the closest they'd get, as Mercyhurst slowly built its lead to 10 with 3:33 remaining before salting away the nine-point win down the stretch.

This is IUP's first back-to-back losses since the 2010-11 season when it had three separate such losing streaks.

It was also IUP's first loss to Mercyhurst since the 1997-98 season, a span lasting 12 straight victories.

In her second return to Mercyhurst after transferring after her freshman season, Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds after playing just 21 minutes due to foul trouble. This was the first time all season that the conference's leading scorer did not reach double-figures in points.

Fairman, with three fouls, was also in foul trouble along with Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) (four fouls) and Brooks (three). The Crimson Hawks committed 22 as a team as the Lakers finished 20-of-28 from the foul line.

The Crimson Hawks look to rebound on Wednesday when they head back to Erie to face second-ranked and undefeated Gannon at the Hammermill Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.