ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated Clarion, 91-53, Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Four Lakers recorded double figures as Hurst moved within a game of first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.


 
The victory improved Mercyhurst's record to 15-6 overall and 13-4 in the conference. With California (Pa.) beating #13 Indiana (Pa.), 65-54, Wednesday, the Lakers now stand one game behind division-leading IUP. Coach Gary Manchel's squad heads to Indiana for a showdown with the Crimson Hawks Saturday, February 11.
 
Wednesday, Hurst started out slowly. Winfield Willis scored first and then Bud Teer posted a three-point play to put the visitors ahead 5-0. Paul McQueen added a jumper for a seven-point lead. Jamal Turner got the Lakers on the board with a three-pointer, but Teer answered with two lay-ins to give Clarion an 11-3 advantage with 15:52 left. Mercyhurst went on a 17-0 over the next five minutes.
 
Steven Coleman made two free throws and then Matt Lee drained a trey. Bill Weaver's jumper got the Lakers within one and then Luis Leao converted two free throw attempts with 13:24 to go. Andrew Rickard scored twice and then Paul Bilbo followed with a layup. Leao hit a jumper to make it 20-11 with 10:27 remaining.
 
Willis finally got Clarion (14-9, 10-7 PSAC) back in the game with a three-point play. Free throws by Leonard Patterson got the Eagles within six, but Leao came back with two free throws of his own. Buckets by Coleman, Bilbo, and Ouegnin expanded the lead to 30-18 with 4:24 to play in the first frame.
 
Willis tried to keep Clarion in it with two free throws and a lay-in, but Hurst kept the pressure on. An Ingram layup, a Leao basket and two free throws by Turner made it 38-27 with under a minute left. The Lakers went into the locker room with a 40-28 advantage.
 
Teer and Lee traded jumpers to begin the second half and then Weaver dunked. Lee drained a trey to put the hosts up 47-30 and then rout was on. Rickard and Ingram hit back-to-back triples, with Ingram tacking a free throw on to his to make it 58-35 with 14:03 showing on the clock. Acrobatic lay-ins by Ouegnin and consecutive threes by Rickard kept the fans interested as the lead ballooned to as many as 40.
 
Rickard led with 18 points, hitting four threes. Leao had 17 points, seven boards, and five blocks. Lee scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds and Ingram added 11 points. Turner posted five points, six assists, and nine boards in 28 minutes. Ouegnin added eight points, six assists and five rebounds. Teer had nine points and 12 boards for the Eagles.
 
As a team, Hurst hit 45.8 percent of its field goal attempts, including 19-35 (54.3 percent) in the second half. Clarion shot 34 percent from the floor, including 2-13 accuracy from downtown. The Lakers outrebounded the Eagles, 44-32, and committed just nine turnovers. The hosts used a 43-13 margin in bench points as well.
 
The Lakers play at IUP Saturday, February 11, at 7:30 p.m. Hurst won, 71-47, in the first meeting of the teams on January 21 at the MAC.
 
For a box score of the Clarion-Mercyhurst game, please click here.