Jan. 13, 2007

Box Score

University Center, Mich. - Shelby Chaney had a season-high 25 points, but Saginaw Valley State caught fire in the second half to take a 71-68 final from Mercyhurst.

Chaney hit 8-of-16 field goals and went 9-of-13 from the line. The senior center also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in the loss as Mercyhurst (11-6, 3-4 GLIAC) finished its weekend road trip with two losses.

For the second straight game, the Lakers' opponent could not miss to open the second half. Saginaw Valley (7-7, 4-3 GLIAC) shot 20-of-32 (63 percent) in the second half to seal the win.

Mercyhurst pulled to within one in the closing seconds after a Terry Smith lay up, but Martell Summers got a lay in of his own with seven ticks left to give the Cardinals a 71-68 advantage. A three-point attempt by T.J. Mathis at the buzzer was off.

The Cardinals opened the second half with a 21-10 run to take a 45-35 lead with 13:16 left in the game. At one point Saginaw Valley hit nine consecutive field goals and started the half 11-of-14 shooting after going only 9-of-30 in the first half.

The Lakers were not done, however, scoring nine straight points to pull within three, 50-47, with 8:13 to go after a Chaney putback off a Smith steal.

Mercyhurst held a slim 25-24 lead at the half despite a combined 4-of-16 shooting performance from leading scorers Avi Fogel and Chaney. The Cardinals shaved the lead to just one at the buzzer with a three by Luke Laser.

A 4-of-8 effort from beyond the arc salvaged the half for a Mercyhurst team that hit just 35 percent of its field goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Fogel was the only other Laker in double figures with 14 points. He also had six assists.

Lawrence Ross scored 22 to lead Saginaw Valley. Luke Laser added 15. Martell Summers dished out a game-high nine assists.

Mercyhurst hit 21-of-27 free throws in the contest.

The Lakers will return home to start a three-game homestand on January 18 against Ferris State at 8:00 PM.