ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball defeated Slippery Rock, 64-62, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division matchup at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers got career highs from Steven Coleman (18 points) and Paul Bilbo (13 points) in the victory.
 
Hurst led by 17 in the second half, but the Rock fought back, eventually tying the game at 55 with 6:47 left in the match. Coleman checked in and promptly got the Lakers in order. Coleman broke the tie with a free throw and then converted a three-point play to give his team a 59-55 advantage. He hit two more free throws and also grabbed a key rebound as the home team went up 61-55.
 
Luiz Santos got the Rock within four, but Bill Weaver scored a bucket on the next possession, giving Hurst a 63-57 edge with 2:44 remaining. Jon Valeriano connected on two free throws and then John Bayardelle cut the Laker lead to 63-60 with 1:26 to go. Mercyhurst could not convert on its possession and Valeriano made two more attempts from the line, getting within one.
 
The Rock made another defensive stop, but Hurst forced an Aubin Reeves miss and Andrew Rickard pulled down the board. Rickard split two free throws, making it 64-62 with 11 seconds to play. Reeves drove inside and his twisting try in the paint went wide and Weaver grabbed the ball, icing the win for the hosts.
 
Slippery Rock went up 10-0 in the first 2:34 before the Lakers got their bearings. Callon Dailey, making his first start of the season, hit a trey and Lee followed with a jumper. After Valeriano made a three, Coleman got in the action and buried a triple. Forty seconds later, Coleman converted a three-point play, getting Hurst within two points.
 
Devin Taylor's layup was answered by a Lee jump shot and a Bilbo lay-in, evening the score at 15 with 11:58 to play in the first half. Coleman had another three-point play, putting his team ahead for the first time. Bilbo then made two free throws, the start of a stellar day at the line for the sophomore.
 
Coleman eventually nailed a three-pointer with 7:43 to play, making it 24-19 Lakers. Bilbo hit two more free throw tries, but the Rock kept competing. Jumpers by Arnis Libazs and Lee made it 21-23 with 3:35 left and a Bilbo bucket put the Lakers up nine. Valeriano's trey made it 33-27 and Lee closed out the half with a basket in the final seconds. Hurst used a 12-0 advantage in second chance points to take the eight-point lead into the locker room.
 
The hosts got a three-point effort from Bilbo and then a breakaway dunk by Jonathan Ouegnin to put Hurst up 40-31 four minutes into the second frame. Bilbo stretched the advantage to 11 with two more free throws a minute later.
 
Coach Gary Manchel's squad then played in the open court. Lee's fast break layup was followed by a Weaver alley-oop from Rickard. Dailey made a steal and dunked, forcing the Rock into a timeout, down 48-31, with 13:22 left.
 
Lee made it 50-35 with two free throws before a quick 6-0 spurt by the visitors. Luiz Santos scored two buckets as the Rock got within eights. A three-point play and then a layup by Tabari Perry cut the Hurst edge to 51-48 with 8:47 remaining. Layups by Santos and Perry were followed by a Chaquille Pratt free throw, tying the score at 55.
 
Coleman scored a game-high 18 on 5-9 shooting and 6-7 shooting from the charity stripe. He also grabbed seven boards and three steals. Lee was next with 15 and Bilbo contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. Bilbo made all seven of his free throw tries. Valeriano led three visitors in double figures, scoring 16. Santos added 10 points and 10 boards.
 
The Lakers were 20-62 from the field, but 21-27 from the line. The Rock hit 23-57 from the floor. Mercyhurst used a 38-18 advantage in bench points.
 
Hurst (9-5, 7-3 PSAC) hosts Gannon Wednesday, January 18, at 7:30 p.m. in another PSAC West contest.
 
For a box score of the Slippery Rock-Mercyhurst game, please click here.