EDINBORO, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team won, 76-62, at Edinboro Wednesday night. Matt Lee scored a career-high 29 points in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.


 
Hurst came out firing in the first half, as Lee hit a three-pointer to kick off the scoring. A three-point play by Bryan Theriot tied the game, but Bill Weaver made a jumper with 18:48 left in the first half. Theriot answered with another basket on the other end. Lee followed with another lay-in and then Arnis Libazs drained a triple with 16:27 to play. Libazs' layup was followed with by a Jonathan Ouegnin bucket, giving the visitors a 14-9 edge.
 
With the score 14-12, Ouegnin hit triples on two out of three possessions. Clint Nicholson warmed up for the Scots, though, scoring eight points in three minutes to give the hosts a 21-20 advantage with 10:34 to go. Ouegnin made two free throws and then Lee hit a trey. The sophomore took control of the game for the next few minutes.
 
Lee drilled a jumper and then made a steal to set up a Ouegnin dunk. Lee followed that with two more three-pointers, putting Hurst ahead 35-24 with 5:06 left. Andrew Rickard got in on the action next, dropping two treys of his own to give the Lakers a 43-27 lead with 1:55 to play. The visitors led 45-31 at the break, as Lee scored 18. They hit nine three-pointers and shot 51.5 percent from the floor in the first twenty minutes.
 
Cory Somerville opened the second half with a bucket and then Jay Fletcher made a jumper to quickly cut the deficit to 10. After a Jamal Turner basket, Weaver and Lee each scored. A Weaver dunk made it 53-37 with 16:50 showing on the clock. Eventually, Lee hit a three and Ouegnin converted a lay-in to make it a 20-point game.
 
Boro would cut the gap to 68-60 with 5:53 remaining, but a dunk by Weaver and two buckets by Lee iced the road victory for Mercyhurst.
 
Lee finished 12-22 from the field, including 5-8 from downtown. He also pulled down seven rebounds.  Ouegnin added 14 points, four boards, and two steals. Weaver totaled 12 points on 6-8 shooting, along with four rebounds. Steven Coleman and Turner each dished out five assists. Nicholson led the Scots with 22 points and 11 boards, while Theriot and Isaiah Prince each scored 12 points.
 
As a team, the Lakers shot 50 percent from the floor, including 10-20 shooting from deep. Edinboro (9-8, 7-6 PSAC) shot just 34.3 percent, as Hurst held the hosts to 6-23 shooting from long range. Mercyhurst enjoyed a 30-16 advantage in paint points, a 17-5 margin in fast break points, and a 29-12 edge in points off the bench.
 
The Lakers (12-5, 10-3 PSAC) head to California (Pa.) Saturday, January 28, for another division game. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
For a box score of the Mercyhurst-Edinboro game, please click here.