MILLERSVILLE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team rallied in the second half to win, 84-75, at Millersville Saturday afternoon. The Lakers trailed by as many as 13 in the second half before Andrew Rickard and Matt Lee brought Hurst back in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest.

Down 59-46 with 11:39 to play, Mercyhurst responded, scoring on its next 10 offensive possessions. Rickard and Christian Heine hit three-pointers before Millersville hit a jumper to make it 61-52. Arnis Libazs made a free throw and then Bill Weaver dunked and made two free throws to cut the deficit to six. Callon Dailey and Lee connected on field goals around a Marauder hoop to make it 65-61 with 7:45 remaining. Rickard converted a pair of free throws before C.J. Scott made a layup for Millersville. Rickard nailed a triple and then Lee tied the game on a trey with 5:50 left. Elijah Obade made a free throw to regain the lead for the home team. Rickard came back with another off-balance jumper before Anthony Coleman hit two free throws for a 72-71 Marauder edge. Dailey connected on a jump shot with 2:55 to play, giving Hurst a lead it would not relinquish. Lee made a layup and a three-pointer for a 78-73 advantage and then Rickard sealed it with two more free throws in the final seconds.

The first half was back and forth, with neither team able to move ahead by more than five points. Lee hit a triple to open the scoring and then Rickard, making his first career start, hit a trey to put the visitors up 10-5 with 16:22 left. Millersville took an 11-10 lead midway through the half, before Dailey's jumper regained Hurst's edge. The Marauders held a slim margin until late in the half when Dailey connected on a three-pointer to give Mercyhurst a 25-24 advantage with 3:47 to go. A three by Lee and a lay-in by Rickard put the Lakers ahead 31-28 before a brief Millersville run gave it a 34-32 halftime lead.

Weaver tied the contest at 34 early in the second half, but the Marauders made a 9-0 run to take control of the match. Larry Grant hit a three and then Coleman's layup put the home team up 13 with under 12 minutes to play

Rickard scored a career-high 24 points, including 9-9 shooting from the line. The Girard native grabbed a career-best six rebounds and handed out three assists in 36 minutes, also a career-high. Lee compiled 23 points on 9-14 shooting, including 5-7 from downtown. Libazs added 12 points and four boards off the bench. Weaver scored 11 points in 12 minutes. Libazs and Weaver battled foul trouble throughout the game and both eventually fouled out. Dailey recorded nine points and pulled down five rebounds to go with two steals.

The Lakers shots 53.7 percent from the floor, including 17-25 (68 percent) in the second half. Millersville hit 25-51 from the field, but shot just 3-16 from long range. Hurst outrebounded the Marauders, 31-27.

Hurst travels to West Chester for another PSAC game tomorrow. The contest is slated for a 3 p.m. start at Hollinger Field House.

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