Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team lost, 82-69, to Concord Friday evening. Beau Samuelson scored 20 points in his Laker debut in the non-conference game to begin the 2012-13 season at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
 
Mercyhurst started out strong, as Samuelson and Jonathan Ouegnin each hit threes for a 6-0 lead. Luis Leao followed with an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 9-3 with 15:51 left in the first half. Two Paul Bilbo layups stretched the lead to 13-3 just over six minutes into the contest.
 
Concord fought back, though, tying the game at 22 and then never letting the hosts run away again. Two Samuelson free throws evened the score at 36 going into halftime.
 
Leao began the second half with a bucket, but the Mountain Lions responded, scoring nine straight to take control. A layup by Leao and a Ouegnin dunk kept Mercyhurst in it early in the half.
 
The visitors expanded the lead to 10 with 8:17 remaining and then a Jake Bichoff trey made it 69-56. The Lakers tried to mount a comeback, but Concord held them off, securing a 13-point victory.
 
Samuelson scored 15 in the first half on his way to a 6-8 shooting day. He hit four triples and all four of his free throw tries. Leao totaled 17 points, while Ouegnin had 12 points and six rebounds. Mercyhurst shot 51.1 percent from the field in the game. Concord hit 59.6 percent from the floor, including 11 three-pointers.
 
In the other game at the MAC Friday night, West Virginia State beat Kutztown, 76-72, as Howard Douglas II led the Yellow Jackets with 15 points off the bench.
 
The Lakers dropped to 0-1 to start the season, while Concord went to 1-0 in 2012-13.
 
The Lakers host West Virginia State Saturday at 3 p.m. Kutztown and Concord meet in a 1 p.m. contest.