Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated Kutztown, 76-64, Sunday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers scored 51 points in the second half to overcome the Golden Bears in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest.
 
A slow first half resulted in a 29-25 Kutztown advantage after 20 minutes of action. The Lakers got rolling in the second half as Paul Bilbo hit a layup with 19:16 to play. After a KU hoop, Beau Samuelson nailed a three-pointer to make it 31-30. With 17:24 left, Terrence Ingram drained a triple to put the hosts up, 34-33.
 
The teams traded points on their next possessions and then Ingram took over. The sophomore hit two free throws, then made a steal and fast break lay-in. He followed with an offensive rebound and eventually another trey to make it 43-35 with 14:34 showing on the clock. After a Leao bucket, Ingram connected on two free throws to give Mercyhurst a 47-35 lead. Two Keith Ellington free throws capped a 14-0 Laker run that saw KU go 7:23 without a field goal.
 
The spurt saw the start of a parade to the foul line in the second half. Mercyhurst hit 26-31 free throw tries in the final 20 minutes, while Kutztown converted 12-18 attempts. The teams combined to shoot 50-69 from the charity stripe in the match. Leao connected on 8-12 and Ingram and Jonathan Ouegnin each hit all six of their free throws.
 
Leao finished 5-12 from the field for 18 points and eight rebounds. Ingram totaled a career-high 17 points and seven boards. He had 14 points in the second half. Samuelson contributed 10 points, while Andy Hoying and Ouegnin each had eight. Tracy Peal led KU with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Micah Fraction scored 20 points.
 
The Lakers held the Bears to a 38.8 percent (19-49) mark from the floor, including 3-19 accuracy from downtown. The hosts hit 22-50 (44 percent) from the field. They also took advantage of 15 Kutztown turnovers, outscoring the Bears, 21-7, on points off turnovers.
 
Mercyhurst is 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the league. KU dropped to 1-6 and 0-2 in the PSAC. The Lakers travel to Notre Dame College for a non-conference contest Wednesday, December 5. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

For a photo gallery from the game, please click here.