Dec. 30, 2005

Box Score

Burlington, Vt. - Mercyhurst won its fourth straight game and sixth of its last seven Friday night, defeating Concordia College (N.Y.) 66-39 in the final day of the St. Michael's Tournament. The Lakers are now 11-2 overall and finished the independent portion of their schedule with a perfect 10-0 mark. Concordia dropped to 3-9.

Mercyhurst led from wire-to-wire and held the Clippers to just 15 first half points in taking a 32-15 advantage to the dressing room. Mercyhurst led 7-4 with eight minutes gone in the half, then held the Clippers to only 11 points the last dozen minutes. Concordia shot 27% from the floor (6 of 22) in the first stanza and was 0 for 5 from long distance. Junior transfer Avi Fogel and freshman Richard Field led the Lakers with 10 and 8 points respectively. Senior Any Kubinski contributed 7 points to the cause on 3 of 3 shooting from the floor. The Lakers forced 14 first half turnovers.

Concordia scored the first basket of the second half, but that was as close as the Clippers would get. Mercyhurst scored the game's final five points to make the 27-point final margin its largest.

Fogel and Field finished with a dozen each to lead the team while sophomore Terry Smith contributed eleven. The Lakers shot 42% from the floor, 27 of 64) and cashed 8 of 10 free throws. The Clippers were held to 31% shooting (15 of 48). Starter Brian Antonelli (16) and reserve David Swaby (13) combined for 29 of the team's 39 points. The duo shot a collective 11 of 26 from the floor while the other seven players who saw action scored just ten points on 4 of 22 accuracy. Although Field and senior Jeff Daisley tied with a game-high eight rebounds apiece, the Clippers held a 36-33 advantage on the glass. Concordia's 39 points were six shy of the Mercyhurst team record for fewest points allowed set six years ago against Houghton.

The 11-2 start is only the third such beginning in this, the 35th year of the program's existence. The Lakers began 11-2 in both the 1985-86 season under Billy Kalbaugh and the 1977-78 campaign under the late Dick Fox. Mercyhurst finished 21-7 in 85-86 and 26-3 in 77-78.

The Lakers have nothing but Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games left. They'll begin 2006 as they ended 2005, on the road. Mercyhurst will play at Findlay Thursday, January 5, and at Ashland Saturday, January 7.