Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated Salem International, 75-61, Tuesday night. Luis Leao led the Lakers with 19 points and eight rebounds in the non-conference win at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
 
The contest featured a parade to the free throw line for both teams. Mercyhurst converted 28-40 tries, while Salem hit 21-28 attempts. However, it was a stretch of hot long-distance shooting that allowed the Lakers to pull away for the 14-point victory.
 
A Callon Dailey free throw put the hosts ahead, 50-48, with 8:03 remaining. Beau Samuelson stepped into a three-pointer with an assist from Terrence Ingram. After a Tiger trey, Ingram finished a layup and then nailed a triple for a 58-51 advantage. Salem followed with two free throws, but Samuelson answered with another three-pointer to make it 61-53 with 6:03 left. Leao then had a jumper and a putback as the Lakers compiled a 20-6 run to wrap up the game.
 
The teams traded points in the first half with the Lakers leading, 32-30, at halftime. Salem tried to stay in the game, but Mercyhurst's run midway through the second half was enough to pick up its second win of the season.
 
Leao finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. He hit 6-11 field goals and 7-8 free throws. Ingram totaled 11 points and three steals, while Dailey had 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Paul Bilbo cashed in 9-14 free throw tries. Juanito Moises led Salem with 12 points and eight boards.
 
The Lakers held the Tigers to 27.6 percent field goal shooting, while the hosts hit 20-50 (40 percent) attempts.
 
Mercyhurst improved to 2-1 and Salem fell to 3-3 in 2012-13. The Lakers play at Urbana in another non-league game Sunday, November 25. The contest is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.