Box Score

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team won, 80-64, at Notre Dame College Wednesday night. Luis Leao had another strong outing, posting 21 points and seven rebounds in the non-conference victory at the Murphy Gymnasium.
 
In the first half, the Lakers started quickly. Beau Samuelson hit two free throws, Paul Bilbo made a layup and Terrence Ingram drained a three-pointer for a 7-1 lead 2:03 into the game. After Notre Dame cut the deficit to 11-8, Keith Ellington came off the bench and connected from long range with 13:51 to go. The Falcons continued to compete, tying the contest at 18 on a Raphi Tekie three. Sean Beins answered with a jumper with 10:50 showing on the clock to regain the visitors' edge.
 
Baskets by Callon Dailey and Andy Hoying extended the advantage before NDC responded with consecutive hoops to get within two points. Hoying found Samuelson for a trey and then Leao hit a jump shot for a 27-20 lead with 5:20 remaining. Two Hoying free throws gave Mercyhurst a nine-point margin, but Eric Dummermuth scored four straight points to keep the hosts in the action.
 
Ingram responded with a bucket, a steal, and an assist on a Jonathon Ouegnin lay-in to hold off the Falcons. Ouegnin finished an old-fashioned three-point play with under a minute left and then Leao hit a jumper to give the Lakers a 38-31 halftime lead.
 
NDC opened the second half with a score, but Ingram came back with a triple and then Leao hit two free throws for a 43-35 advantage. Leao followed with a basket and then Ouegnin dunked for a 12-point margin. Tekie highlighted an 8-0 Falcon spurt with a three, but Leao was there to hit a jumper and then two free throws to get the Laker lead back to 51-43 with 11:32 to play. Ouegnin dunked again and then Leao scored in the lane to all but put away Notre Dame. The Lakers converted 8-9 free throw attempts in the closing minutes to ice the match.
 
Leao hit 7-13 field goal tries and 7-9 free throws. He also blocked three shots. Ouegnin had a perfect night, hitting all five of his shots from the floor and converting 5-5 free throws. He recorded a team-high eight boards and three steals. Ingram and Dailey each scored nine points, while Hoying and Bilbo added eight apiece. Dummermuth led NDC with 20 points and eight rebounds.
 
As a team, the Lakers shot 28-54 (51 percent) and hit 19-24 (79 percent) from the line. They outrebounded the Falcons, 40-24.
 
Mercyhurst improved to 4-3 this season, while the Falcons dropped to 2-4. The teams meet again on December 30 at the MAC.
 
Mercyhurst hosts Lock Haven in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opener Saturday, December 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.