ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team beat Urbana, 74-58, in the 2011-12 season opener Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Andrew Rickard, Bill Weaver, and Jonathan Ouegnin all recorded career-highs in scoring to lead the Lakers. 



The Blue Knights took a 12-11 lead with 11:53 left in the first half, but a tip-in by Weaver and then a three-pointer by Ouegnin put the Lakers ahead for what would prove to be for good. 

Rickard hit back-to-back triples and Ouegnin followed with a lay-in for a quick 8-0 spurt that put the home team up 11 with 4:46 remaining in the opening frame. 

Mercyhurst held a 35-24 advantage at halftime, totaling 17 points off the bench.

The Lakers maintained a double-digit edge for the first portion of the second half before pulling away a bit. A Rickard three, Weaver free throw and then dunk put Mercyhurst ahead 59-40 with under nine minutes to go. 

For the game, Rickard led with 19 points on 5-6 three-point shooting. Weaver added 16 points and a team-high seven boards. Ouegnin totaled 14 points and five rebounds, along with three blocked shots. Senior Jamal Turner dished out 10 assists in 22 minutes. Matt Lee contributed 11 points.

Hurst shot 51.9 percent from the field, including 7-9 shooting from deep. Urbana shot 35.5 percent from the floor. It also shot just 4-25 from three-point land. 

Mercyhurst returns to the court Saturday, November 19, at Millersville. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game is slated for a 3 p.m. start. 

For a box score of the Urbana-Mercyhurst game, please click here.