Nov. 21, 2006

Stats

ERIE, Pa. - Mercyhurst held Roberts Wesleyan to just 8-of-27 shooting in the second half to break open a close game and cruised to an 89-63 win.

Avi Fogel led five Lakers in double figures with 18 points.

Mercyhurst (2-1) also took good care of the basketball, committing only 12 turnovers, while forcing 25 from the Raiders (4-2).

Roberts Wesleyan took a 24-20 lead with an 8-1 run that ended with 9:33 left in the half. From that point, Mercyhurst embarked on an 18-9 run and entered the locker room ahead 48-40.

Richard Field led the way in the first half, scoring 11 of his 16 points and hitting all five of his field goal attempts. Alfonso Evans scored 14 of his game-high 19 in the opening 20 minutes as he kept the Raiders afloat.

The second half opened up with a dunk by Evans to pull Roberts Wesleyan to within six, but Mercyhurst stepped up its defense after that. The Lakers at one point held the Raiders to just 1-of-10 shooting and forced 10 turnovers in a span of 10 minutes, beginning at 18:30.

The Lakers outscored Roberts Wesleyan 23-6 during that span to open the score from 50-45 to 73-51. For the half, the Lakers scored 16 points off turnovers, compared to just two for the Raiders.

Mercyhurst shot at least 50 percent for the second straight game, connecting on 51 percent of its shots on 32-of-63 field goals.

The team's defensive stand in the second half negated a first half in which a hot shooting Roberts Wesleyan team hit 58 percent of its shots, including 3-of-6 from long range. In the second half, Mercyhurst allowed just 30 percent shooting and 1-of-7 on threes.

Field finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and had five steals and a block. Fogel grabbed five boards and had four assists in addition to his team-high 18 points. Shelby Chaney and Terry Smith scored 13 points each. T.J. Mathis added a dozen points and four boards.

Mitch Brennan led the Lakers with six boards as Mercyhurst outrebounded the Raiders 37-to-34.

Brandon Jones was the only other Roberts Wesleyan player in double figures with 13 points. He added six assists, but was also on of three Raiders with six turnovers.

The Lakers now look for their third straight win with a game at Ohio Valley on Sunday, November 25 at 5:30 PM.