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EAST STROUDSBURG – Rebecca Himes scored the go-ahead goal with 1:02 left as No. 13-ranked Mercyhurst survived an upset bid from East Stroudsburg University, and a lightning delay of almost two hours, for a 14-12 win in PSAC women's lacrosse on Wednesday at Whitenight Field.

ESU fought back from an early 5-1 deficit to tie the game at 5-5 at halftime, and it was 9-9 with exactly 9:00 left when the officials and athletic training staff pressed pause for a lightning delay, which stretched from 5:30 to almost 7:30 p.m.

When play resumed, ESU (1-9, 0-6) twice rallied to tie the score (10-10 and 12-12) before the Lakers (10-2, 5-1) broke through on Himes' goal with 1:02 left. They added a closing goal by Kayla Minner just before the final horn at 7:45 p.m. with the field almost completely enveloped in darkness.

Six players scored two goals each as the Warriors tied their season-high with 12 goals – midfielder Brandi Smith, senior attack Sarah Ginn, junior midfielder Nicole Miller, sophomore attack Emily Powell, freshman attack Lauren Nunes and freshman midfielder Kaitlynn Wiltraut.

It didn't look like it would be a thriller at the outset, as Mercyhurst scored five of the first six goals, the last coming from Olivia Keirn with 21:49 left in the first half.

The Warriors battled back, getting two goals from Wiltraut – the first with 19:39 left, then another with 7:28 to go in the half after a 12-minute drought by both sides – to get within 5-3. Ginn scored with just under five minutes left, and Smith tied it at 5-5 with nine seconds left in the half.

Mercyhurst got off to a solid second-half start as well, scoring twice in the first five minutes, but again ESU responded.

The Warriors scored three straight – from Ginn, Powell and a free position shot by Miller – to take an 8-7 lead with 15:18 remaining.

The advantage was short-lived as Keirn scored 15 seconds later, and Mercyhurst went in front 9-8 with 12:32 to play.

Nunes scored the first of her two goals with 9:44 remaining before the nearly two-hour intermission when play was suspended with 9:00 showing.

When the game was resumed, Mercyhurst got on the board right away, with Minner converting a free position shot four seconds in.

That set off a run of eight goals in the final nine minutes – five by Mercyhurst, and three by the Warriors. Smith scored on an assist from Wiltraut to even it at 10-10 with 7:55 left before the Lakers scored twice – Keirn and Himes – to go in front 12-10 at the 6:22 mark.

ESU wasn't done, rallying to knot it at 12-12 after goals by Powell with 5:25 to go and Nunes with 2:26 remaining – but Mercyhurst pulled it out in the end.

Minner and Keirn both scored four goals to lead Mercyhurst, Alisha Catalino had three and Himes added two goals and five assists. Anna LeGrett had one goal and two assists.

Senior goalkeeper Amanda Simms had nine saves for ESU, with five coming in the second half. Rebecca Muscella made all six of her saves in the first half for Mercyhurst.

ESU, which played its third nationally-ranked opponent in four games (all at home), is on the road for four straight beginning with a trip to Millersville on Saturday at 1 p.m.