Box Score ERIE, Pa. --- Notre Dame dropped a hard-fought decision to Mercyhurst at Mercyhurst Athletic Center, 80-70, Friday night. (Box)
 
Senior Alex Dackin led the Falcons (5-8) with a season-high 14 points. Sophomore Courtney Clark and freshman Martha Nagbe added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Nikki Frederickson paced a hot shooting Lakers (5-5) squad with a career high 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting. PSAC freshman leading scorer Lindsay Stamp poured in 19 points in 15 minutes.

Notre Dame shot 47-percent (22-of-47) from the floor in the game and 33-percent (6-of-18) from three. Mercyhurst was 60-percent from the field (31-of-52) while shooting 44-percent (7-for-16) behind the arc. The Lakers held a 32-25 rebounding advantage.

Notre Dame scored the first four points of the game, but Frederickson made a layup 90 seconds in for Mercyhurst's first points. The Falcons went ahead 8-4 and eventually led 14-6 after a Danielle Ledrich basket.
 
A 7-0 run by the Lakers made it 16-13 with 12:29 to play in the first half. A three-point play by Molly Ritz gave the Falcons a six-point lead. Frederickson followed with her first three-pointer of the season and then Lindsey Burke hit a trey to cut the deficit to two points.
 
Another 3-pointer put Mercyhurst in the lead, 22-21 with 7:42 left, but the Falcons answered with a free throw and a three-pointer on the same possession. Layups by Stamp and Frederickson put the home team up, and after a Clark three, Stamp converted another bucket to tie the game at 28 with 5:20 left.
 
NDC went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Clark triple. Frederickson scored four more points in the final minutes of the frame, getting the Lakers within four points. Dana Banda hit a shot from 40 feet out at the horn to make it 40-39 at the break.
 
Mercyhurst opened the second half with a three-point play, but the Falcons responded with a Lauren Macer 3-pointer and two free throws. Frederickson continued her career night, converting a three-point play of her own to tie the contest at 45, three minutes into the half. Alex Dackin and Hoffman traded threes and then Frederickson's lay-in made it 50-48 with 15:30 to play. Brittany Reddy's free throw a few minutes later gave the Falcons its final lead of the night.
 

NOTES FROM THE NEST….

Mercyhurst won their first game against Notre Dame since 1995 on Friday night. The Lakers won the first two matchups between the programs, defeating the Falcons 66-50 in 1994 and 94-58 in 1995. NDC recorded victories in the next two meetings, a 73-66 win last season and defeated the Lakers in their season-opener in 2005, 71-60.