BOX SCORE
Scranton, PA – Misericordia University used strong defensive pressure throughout and sank 11 of 12 free throws down the stretch as the visiting Cougars improved to 15-5 (10-1 PAC) with a 55-44 win over host Marywood University Monday evening in PAC women's basketball action. The loss drops the Pacers to 11-8 (4-7 PAC).
Marywood chipped away at an early Misericordia 11-2 lead and with the Pacers down 18-15, Marywood used three consecutive three's from Amanda Lass, Caitlin Hadzimichalis and Bryanne Unger to take a 24-18 lead. An Ericka Morrison traditional three-point play cut the Pacers' lead to three at 24-21, and a back-and-forth remaining 2:30 resulted in a deadlock at halftime, 28-28.
Morrison led all scorers at the break with 11 for the Cougars, but Marywood had balanced scoring throughout the first frame led by Hadzimichalis' 8-point effort to stay in the game. Marywood hit 5 of 7 shots from behind the arc in the opening stanza while Misericordia managed just 2 of 10 shooting from long-distance.
Misericordia came out strong in the second half, opening the second period on an 8-0 run and not allowing Marywood to score over the first 8:30 of action. Marywood pulled back to within six (39-33) with just under seven minutes to play on a Lizzy Green (Shenandoah, PA) and to within five (39-34) on a Stephanie Fusaro (Bala Cynwyd, PA) free throw, but Misericordia's Lindsey Sykes responded with a three-pointer to give the Cougars a comfortable 42-34 lead. From there, the Cougars did the job on the free-throw line, extending their lead to the final score.
Amy Hughes led all scorers with 18 points for Misericordia, while Morrison contributed 14 and grabbed 11 boards. Lacey DeGraw came off the bench for the Cougars and registered 11 rebounds as well. Lass and Hadzimichalis each finished with 12 for Marywood, with Lass completing the double-double with 10 boards.
Marywood returns to action Thursday when the Pacers host Centenary College in PAC action at 6:00 pm.
