LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated Lock Haven, 73-66, Saturday afternoon at Thomas Fieldhouse. The Lakers clinched the second seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with the win and they will host Slippery Rock at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center Tuesday, February 28.
 
Despite a winless season to date, Lock Haven did not wilt, hanging around until the final minute. Hurst held a reasonable margin for most of the day, but the Bald Eagles made their run in the final five minutes. After Jamal Turner's layup with 4:31 left put the Lakers up 66-53, Haven got two free throws from Andre Rivers. Lucas Mosca hit two three-pointers in 48 seconds to cut the deficit to five. Anthony Baker converted two free throws to get within 66-63 with 1:55 left.
 
Closing out a career day, Matt Lee got inside and scored on the Lakers' next possession to give Hurst some breathing room. Terrell Johnson split two free throws on the other end and then Lee iced the game with a jumper to make it 70-64 with just over a minutes to play.
 
Bill Weaver made two free throws to start the scoring 2:19 into the contest. Lee hit two tries from the line on the next trip down to make it 4-0. Mercyhurst's defense locked down the Eagle offense early, as Haven did not make a field goal until the 10:22 mark of the first half. Lee hit a three-pointer, a jumper, and a layup to put Hurst ahead 16-4 with 11:22 left. Lucas Mosca hit the hosts' first shot of the day to get within 11.
 
In a rare appearance off the bench, Keith Ellington came in and hit a jumper to put the Lakers up 20-8 with 9:14 remaining. Rivers made two free throws and then a lay-in to get LHU down 21-12. Lee hit two free throws and a layup to stretch the margin to 11 with 7:24 to play. Another Lee jump shot kept Hurst going and then Andrew Rickard and Christian Heine each scored to put Hurst up 31-22 with 4:02 to go.
 
Johnson and Mosca both hit buckets before Paul Bilbo's layup gave Mercyhurst a 33-24 advantage late in the frame. Nate Walters converted two free throws, but Rickard connected from downtown with four seconds left in the half to send the Lakers into the locker room up 38-28.
 
Weaver's jumper got the visitors on the board in the second half, but Baker made a three-pointer. Johnson's trey cut the deficit to 42-35 with 16:33 to go. Weaver and Walters traded buckets before Armandi Marshall made it 44-39. Marshall scored a minute later and then Lee finished a three-point play. A Rivers basket was met by two Lee free throws, putting the score at 51-45 with 10:46 remaining.
 
Lee went back to the line for two more free throws two minutes later and then Weaver converted a three-point play to expand the lead to 56-47 with under eight minutes showing on the clock. Weaver dunked and made the ensuing free throw to further stretch the advantage. Lee made a triple and two free throws to put Hurst ahead 64-49 with 5:24 left.
 
Lee finished with a career-high 32 points on 9-18 shooting. He converted 12-13 free throw attempts while grabbing five rebounds and four steals. Weaver added 19 points, six boards, and five blocked shots. Rivers led the Eagles with 17 points and nine rebounds.
 
As a team, Hurst hit 22-57 (38.6 percent) shots from the floor, while Haven was 18-52 (34.6 percent) from the field. The Lakers made 25-29 free throw tries, while the hosts hit 26-37 attempts.
 
In a first round PSAC Tournament game, Mercyhurst will host third-seeded Slippery Rock at the MAC on Tuesday, February 28, at 7 p.m. Regular season West champion Indiana (Pa.) hosts California (Pa.), the fourth seed, in the other Western Division quarterfinal.
 
Hurst concluded the regular season with a 17-9 overall record and a 15-7 conference mark. Lock Haven went 0-25 and 0-22 in the league.
 
For a box score of the Mercyhurst-Lock Haven game, please click here.