Box Score The Misericordia University women's basketball team improved to 4-0 with a 62-52 win over Wilkes in the Freedom Conference opener for both teams, Wednesday night at the Anderson Center.

Lauren Smicherko led the Cougars with 23 points while Elena Stambone had a game-high 24 points for Wilkes.

MU's Hannah Seely had eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Misericordia led 37-25 at halftime and took a 56-34 lead with 10:20 remaining in the game.

Wilkes clawed to within six points, 58-52, with under a minute to play, but Tyann McDaniel and Smicherko both sank a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.

Katie Drayton drained a three-pointer and Caitlin Kessler sank a jumper to the give the Cougars a 14-7 lead early in the first half.

Wilkes scored six straight points to within one and the Cougars responded with a 6-0 run of their own.  Kessler and Nikki Baro both made two free throws and Baro found Smicherko for a jumper and 1 20-13 lead with 9:57 left in the half.

Lauren Oertner's jumper stretched the lead to 27-16 with 5:14 to go in the opening half.

After Wilkes cut the margin to six, the Cougars closed the half on a 7-1 run.

Seely opened the second half with a baseline drive and Tyann McDaniel buried a three-pointer for a 42-27 lead with just under 19 minutes to play.

Smicherko's driving layup gave the Cougars a 46-27 lead with 16:45 left.

Kessler's layup made it 52-32 and Baro drained a short jumper for a 54-32 lead with 10:41 remaining.

Seely gave a the Cougars a 58-42 lead with a jumper with 8:21 to go, but the Cougars went scores for the next eight minutes as Wilkes pulled within 58-52 with 44 seconds to play.

Misericordia is off to its best start in more than 20 years and will travel to Manhattanville, Saturday.