Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team beat Lock Haven, 68-50, Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Senior Luis Leao posted 22 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opener.
 
The Lakers held a slim margin for much of the game, although they went up 24-12 in the first half before the Bald Eagles raced back to make it 27-23 at the half. In the second frame, a pair of Kasheef Festus free throws made it 49-44 Mercyhurst with 6:52 left. The Lakers answered with a 14-2 run and allowed just one LHU field goal down the stretch.
 
Two Leao free throws made it 51-44 and then Terrence Ingram drained a three-pointer with 6:04 remaining. Leao then hit four more free throws to expand the advantage. The Eagles split four free throws of their own before Callon Dailey slapped at a rebound, sending the ball off the backboard and through the net for a 60-46 lead. Dailey followed with a trey at the 2:54 mark to seal the victory.
 
The game got off to a slow start, as Paul Bilbo dunked to tie the match at 2, 3:15 into the action. Festus' layup put the vistors down, 10-8, with 12:09 to play, but Leao nailed a triple and then Jean Onana connected on a jumper. A few minutes later, Bilbo finished an old-fashioned three-point play to stretch the lead to 18-10. Another Leao basket kept the Lakers' momentum going and then Sean Beins came off the bench to hit back-to-back jump shots for a 24-12 advantage.
 
Lock Haven fought back, though, as Wali Hepburn and Armandi Marshall each scored to slow the hosts' spurt. Dave Garcia closed the half with a three-pointer to get the Eagles within 4.
 
Leao hit 6-13 field goal tries and 9-11 free throws. He finished with 22 points, eight boards, four blocks, and three steals in 32 minutes. Jonathan Ouegnin contributed seven points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Ingram added eight points and five assists, while Dailey had seven points and five boards. All nine Lakers who played scored at least three points.
 
Festus led the Eagles with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Hepburn had 14 points and five boards.
 
The Lakers shot 41.8 percent (23-55) from the floor and converted 17-21 (81 percent) free throw attempts. LHU hit just 32.1 percent (17-53) from the field, including 2-13 (15.4 percent) from downtown.
 
Mercyhurst (5-3, 2-1 PSAC) next travels to Shippensburg and Millersville for a pair of PSAC crossover contests. Mercyhurst plays at Ship December 18 and then at Millersville the next day. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts.