ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated Lock Haven, 95-68, Wednesday evening at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Nine Lakers scored at least seven points and senior Jamal Turner dished out 10 assists as Hurst won its sixth straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.
 
Steven Coleman hit a three-pointer to open the scoring and then a Bill Weaver dunk off a Jamal Turner inbounds pass gave the hosts a 5-2 lead with 18:16 left. Luis Leao's layup put Hurst ahead five points. Andrew Rickard came off the bench and nailed a trey a few minutes later, but Lock Haven fought back. A Terrell Johnson bucket and a Julian Bond three made it 14-11 with 14:24 left in the first frame.
 
The Laker bench proved to be an asset all night, as Terrence Ingram hit a jumper and then assisted on a Paul Bilbo basket. Matt Lee followed with a triple, giving Mercyhurst a 25-17 edge with 11:33 to go. Layups by Andre Rivers and Johnson got the Eagles within three points, but a Weaver lay-in and a Jonathan Ouegnin dunk gave the Lakers a 31-24 margin.
 
Christian Heine made a layup and then Leao hit a jump shot to put the home team up 14 points with 6:25 showing on the clock. The high-scoring half continued as the teams traded buckets late in the frame. After Lee made a lay-in, Anthony Baker hit two free throws. Armandi Marshall connected on a jumper, but Coleman responded with a three-pointer just before the buzzer to make it 50-35 Hurst at the half.
 
Coach Gary Manchel's squad used a 26-10 advantage in points in the paint in the first twenty minutes.
 
After Leao began the second frame with a bucket, Rivers came back with a trey and a jumper to get within 52-40. Rickard drained a three, Coleman made a layup, and Weaver dunked to make it a 19-point margin with 15:56 left. Baskets by Weaver and Ingram stretched the lead further and the visitors never got within 20 again. Ingram lit it up in the second half, hitting all five of his field goal tries, including three triples. As a unit, the Hurst bench scored 31 second-half points on its way to 54 in the game.
 
Ingram led Laker scorers with 15 points on perfect 6-6 shooting in 17 minutes. Weaver followed with 14 points and Rickard had 12. Leao had 11, while Coleman and Ouegnin each totaled eight points. Lee and Heine added seven apiece. Turner handed out 10 assists in 21 minutes of action. Ouegnin grabbed eight boards and made four assists in his 25 minutes. Baker led LHU (0-18, 0-15 PSAC) with 29 points.
 
As a team, the Lakers shot 66.1 percent (39-59) from the field, including 9-16 accuracy from downtown. The field goal percentage is a season-high. They outrebounded Lock Haven, 34-16, and forced the Eagles into 25 turnovers. Mercyhurst collected 30 assists, the most in at least 15 seasons.
 
 Mercyhurst (14-5, 12-3 PSAC) hits the road Saturday, February 4, for a crucial conference outing. Hurst faces Slippery Rock in a 3 p.m. game.
 
For a box score of the Lock Haven-Mercyhurst game, please click here.