Box Score
ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team beat Notre Dame College, 78-68, Sunday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
Luis Leao had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a non-league victory.
The home team held a small margin throughout the second half, but NDC made a late run. A Tyree Gaiter layup made it 68-63 Mercyhurst with 3:30 left. A Falcon free throw cut the Lakers' lead to four a few seconds later.
Keith Ellington converted two free throws and then Leao made it 71-64 on another make from the foul line. Gaiter continued his big day with another basket to make it a five-point contest. Two more Ellington free throws stretched the lead and then Leao scored inside to seal it in the final minute.
Leao had a monster game, scoring 14 points in the first half and then grabbing 10 boards in the second period. The senior forward hit 11-17 field goal tries, assisted on three buckets and posted four steals.
Paul Bilbo and
Callon Dailey got the Lakers started in the first half, as Dailey's three-pointer made it 10-2 and gave him seven early points. Leao made it 12-2 with a lay-in before the Falcons got going, scoring eight straight points to get back in it.
A
Terrence Ingram trey made it 21-17 Mercyhurst with 7:10 to go and then Leao scored and
Jonathan Ouegnin connected on two free throws as part of a 9-0 spurt. Three Leao hoops kept the hosts ahead, but Gaiter scored four late points to make it 35-31 Lakers at halftime.
Bilbo made two from the foul line to begin the second frame. Leao hit two more buckets around a Bilbo layup as Mercyhurst took a 43-33 advantage with 16:58 to play. The Lakers maintained a comfortable margin until the final four minutes.
Leao total 23 points to go with his career-high-tying 15 rebounds. His four steals also matched a career-best. Dailey scored 15 points on 6-7 free throw shooting. He also had four steals. Bilbo put up a career-high 14 points in 23 minutes. Ellington came off the bench to set a new career high with nine points, as he hit 7-9 free throws. Gaiter led NDC with 21 points on 10-11 accuracy from the foul line.
Mercyhurst (7-4) hosts Mansfield in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover next weekend. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the MAC.
