ERIE, Pa. – The Colonials got back in the win column, pulling off a 73-71 win over Mercyhurst on Wednesday morning with freshman Layke Fields having a career night, setting a new career high of 24 points to lead RMU.
 
FIRST QUARTER

• The Colonials got on the board first with Noa Givon getting a quick bucket off the opening tip before Mercyhurst went on a 7-0 run to put the Lakers up 7-2 with 7:28 remaining in the first half.
• RMU took a 12-11 lead with 1:41 on the clock as Aislin Malcolm hit a jump shot before the Colonials extended their lead to three on a Layke Fields layup, making it 14-11
• Mercyhurst's Erica Hall hit a jumper as the buzzer went off to cut the Colonials' lead down to one. RMU held a 16-15 lead going into the second quarter.
• From the floor, RMU shot 63.64%, going 7-for-11 in the first quarter, while the Lakers shot 40.0%.

SECOND QUARTER

• With 7:06 on the clock, RMU grabbed its biggest lead of the game so far as Mallory Daly scored on a fastbreak layup assisted by Myriam Traore to put the Colonials up 24-18.
• A jumper by Fields with 2:19 put RMU up seven over the Lakers before a three-pointer by Mercyhurst's Gabby Sweeny cut the Colonials' lead down to four.
• Traore extended the Colonials' lead back to seven before halftime as Traore drove to the basket, scoring the layup and drawing the foul. Traore hit the free throw to make it 35-28 going into the half.

THIRD QUARTER

• The Lakers started the third quarter off with a 5-0 run to cut the Colonials' lead to two, as RMU led 35-33 with 9:31 to go.
• RMU put on a 5-0 run of their own as Bailey Kuhns scored a layup and Malcolm hit a shot from deep to put RMU back up seven, leading 40-33 with 8:14 remaining on the clock.
• Back-to-back made free throws by the Lakers cut the lead to just two before the teams traded baskets back and forth, ending the third quarter with the Colonials up 52-48.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Jada Lee started the quarter for the Colonials with a jumper to put RMU up 54-48, before a 5-0 run by the Lakers made it 54-43 RMU.
• A 6-0 run by the Colonials put them back out front by seven before Mercyhurst responded with a layup to cut the lead back down to five.
• A free throw by Myriam Traore gave the Colonials their biggest lead of the night as RMU went out front 63-55.
• The Lakers wouldn't go away without a fight as Mercyhurst went on a 7-0 run as Jenna Van Schaik tied the contest up at 67-67 on a layup with 1:02 remaining on the clock.
• With three seconds on the clock, Mercyhurst hit a jump shot to make it 72-71 before the Lakers fouled Mallory Daly, sending her to the line for two free throws. Daly missed the first but was able to make the second to give the Colonials a two-point lead.
• Mercyhurst was unable to hit the game-winning three-point shot before the buzzer expired, sealing the win for RMU.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Freshman Layke Fields had her best game as a Colonial so far, dropping a career high 24 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the floor, along with six rebounds, to help lead RMU. Myriam Traore nearly recorded a double-double, scoring 14 points along with a team-high nine rebounds and four assists. Aislin Malcolm and Bailey Kuhns were the other Colonials to score in double-digits, each picking up 10 in the contest. Kuhns also recorded seven rebounds, while Malcolm recorded four rebounds and four assists.
 
In the contest, the Colonials shot 55.6% from the floor while Mercyhurst shot 42.6%. RMU scored 48 points in the paint, 10 points off turnovers, and recorded 21 second-chance points. RMU controlled the glass, outrebounding Mercyhurst 36-16.
 
UP NEXT
RMU (5-2) will kick off Horizon League play this Sunday as the Colonials will travel to Highland Heights to take on Northern Kentucky (3-6) at Truist Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+