ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team fell, 73-64, to Edinboro Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Clint Nicholson had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Fighting Scots in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.
 
Trailing 57-50 with 7:36 left, Paul Bilbo converted a three-point play. Jamal Turner followed with two free throws and then Bill Weaver split a pair of free throw tries. Hurst had cut the deficit to one, but Cory Somerville came back with a bucket to make it 59-56 with 4:33 to go. Clint Nicholson scored to expand the lead, but Andrew Rickard hit a jumper on the hosts' next possession, getting the Lakers within three.
 
On the next Boro possession, Sam Moore connected from deep. Turner responded with a three-point play to make it 64-61 with 2:55 remaining. Isaiah Prince made a jump shot to stretch the margin and then Nicholson sealed the win with a layup with 43 seconds to play.
 
Steven Coleman came out firing in the first half, hitting a three-pointer on the opening possession and then another trey two minutes later. He hit a jumper with 16:01 to go to make it 9-8 Scots. Weaver scored twice and then Matt Lee made a basket to put Hurst up 14-11 with 12:49 to play. The Lakers kept a comfortable margin for the rest of the half, going up 10 on several occasions. They headed into the locker room up 41-34.
 
Alex Moore started the second frame with a three as the visitors quickly got back into the game. Two Nicholson free throws tied the contest with 16:28 to play. Somerville put Edinboro ahead with a lay-in and after two Jay Fletcher free throws, Prince drained a trey to make it 51-44 with 13:10 showing on the clock. Layups by Christian Heine and Terrence Ingram got Hurst back in it, but Nicholson scored and then Prince converted two free throw tries to make it a seven-point game again.
 
Lee and Rickard led the Lakers with 10 points, while Coleman, Bilbo, and Turner each added eight. Turner also had seven assists and no turnovers. Four Scots scored double-digit points.
 
Mercyhurst hit 35.4 percent (23-65) from the field, including 21.2 percent (7-33) in the second half. Boro was 23-58 (39.7 percent) from the floor. Hurst outrebounded its opponents, 43-37, and had a 23-10 advantage in bench points.
 
Hurst was tabbed ninth in the new NCAA Atlantic Region rankings, released Wednesday afternoon. The top eight teams in the rankings advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Mercyhurst heads to Lock Haven Saturday, February 25, for the regular season finale. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
 
For a box score of the Mercyhurst-Edinboro game, please click here.