Boxscore

Erie, Pa. – Mercyhurst College pulled away from cross-town rival Gannon University late in the second half to secure a 58-46 win. The victory snapped the Lakers four-game losing streak to the Golden Knights and moved them to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Gannon fell to 9-10 on the season, including 4-3 in the PSAC West.

The victory was not only the Lakers' first over Gannon in more than two seasons, but it was also head coach Gary Manchel's 106th win at Mercyhurst, tying him with Karl Fogel for the most coaching victories by a Mercyhurst men's basketball head coach.

The Lakers were led by Heiden Ratner and Christian Cornelius who both reached double figures. Ratner continued to lead Mercyhurst in scoring, notching a game-high 16 on the night. He also led the Lakers with seven rebounds and four assists. Cornelius contributed 14 points, with 10 coming at the foul line. In a balanced Laker offense, four other players scored and twelve players saw time on the court, including eight who played 12 or more minutes.

The Golden Knights also had two players in double digits for the game with six players scoring overall. George Johnson led the team with 16 points and four assists while Alfonso Scandrett pitched in with a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. The two did record a combined eight turnovers, a stat that plagued the Golden Knights throughout the game as they finished with 20, 10  forced by Laker steals.

The first half was a series of runs that saw the lead change five times, with the score tied once. With the Golden Knights up four with just over 15 minutes to play in the opening period, the Lakers used an 11-1 run to gain an eight-point lead. Four players for Mercyhurst scored during the stretch, with Cornelius and Nnamdi Nnadili each chipping in four points. Nnadili also pulled down a rebound and recorded a steal during the run.

The Golden Knights fought their way back with a 13-2 run of their own. The Lakers did not record a field goal in the five minute stretch in which Gannon regained the lead, this time by three, with 5:32 left before the half. Mercyhurst's only points came at the line when Cornelius drained two shots.

The Lakers finished the half strong however, using the third big run of the half to go into the break up four. Mercyhurst outscored Gannon 9-2 over the last five minutes of the first period. Cornelius made 4-of-6 at the line and Ratner made a three just before the half to help the Lakers take a 29-25 lead into intermission.

Both teams opened the second half cold from the field. Neither team scored until Gannon's Danard Crouch converted a layup with 15:39 on the clock. The Golden Knights tied the game for the second time when Crouch hit a jumper after Shelton Jackson turned the ball over for the Lakers.

Mercyhurst continued to struggle from the floor with the team's next four points coming off Cornelius free throws, which put the Lakers up by two. Elliot Engelmann's jumper with 12:50 to play broke the fourth tie of the second period and was the team's first field goal of the half.

After Gannon's Scandrett tied the game for the sixth time in the second stanza at 39-39, Heiden Ratner drained a three with 9:25 that gave the Lakers a lead that they would not relinquish. It was also the beginning of the 19-7 run that spanned the remainder of the game and helped to seal the Mercyhurst victory with the Lakers' defense limiting the Golden Knights to one field goal in the final 9:50 of the contest. 

Mercyhurst went 9-of-12 from the line over the last 8:28 of the game to steadily build a double-digit lead as Gannon was not able to make enough shots to cut into the lead. The Lakers final six points came at the charity stripe to seal a 12-point win. 


Neither team shot well from three in the game, however the Lakers did outshoot the Golden Knights 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) to 1-of-16 (6.3 percent) behind the arc. Mercyhurst also made more trips to the line throughout the game, holding a 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) to 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) advantage. While Gannon did outpace Mercyhurst 20-12 in the paint, the Lakers held a 14-6 edge in points off turnovers and outscored the Golden Knights 9-1 on fast break points. Mercyhurst also limited Gannon's second chance opportunities, holding the visitors to just four offensive boards. The Lakers pulled down 10 on the offensive glass and outrebounded the Golden Knights 38-36 overall in the game.

The Lakers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 6 when they host Slippery Rock in a 3 p.m. PSAC West contest. Slippery Rock is 13-7 overall and 2-5 in conference play. 

Mercyhurst is now tied with Gannon for third place in the PSAC West, two games behind Clarion and two games ahead of three teams for the final playoff spot.

Notes:

Seventh-year head coach Gary Manchel tied Karl Fogel's record for all-time coaching victories at Mercyhurst, improving to 106-81 overall. Fogel posted a career record of 106-106 in eight seasons at Mercyhurst, beginning in 1995-96.

The Lakers win over Gannon snaps a four-game winless streak against the Golden Knights. Mercyhurst last defeated Gannon by a 79-74 decision on Feb. 24, 2007.

The 58 points scored are the second-lowest total this season. The Lakers season-low came in a 76-54 defeat to then-ranked No. 12 IUP on Jan. 16.

The 32.1 field-goal percentage (17-of-53) is a season-low for the Lakers. Traditionally an efficient offensive club, Mercyhurst has dipped below 40 percent from the field on just four occasions.

Mercyhurst has held opponents to one 3-pointer in each of its last two games. The Lakers limited California to 1-of-7 from the line while Gannon managed just 1-of-17 attempts.

Mercyhurst continues to enjoy a home-court advantage, improving to 10-1 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in 2009-10. Prior to this season, the Lakers posted a 43-15 mark at the MAC through four seasons (2006-09).

The Lakers outperformed a PSAC West opponent at the free-throw line for just the second time this season.

Senior forward Christian Cornelius registered a career effort from the free-throw line, hitting 10-of-12 attempts. He has scored in double-figures in five out of seven PSAC West contests.