Box Score

CHEYNEY, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team beat Cheyney, 77-55, Saturday afternoon at Cope Hall. Luis Leao scored 24 points, including the 1,000th of his career in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover victory.
 
The Lakers got out to a strong start, going ahead 9-0 in the first 2:34 of the contest. Leao scored inside and Paul Bilbo made two free throws. Callon Dailey followed with a three-pointer and Leao dunked with 17:26 remaining. Brandon Norfleet got the Wolves on the board with a pair of free throws.
 
Two Cheyney jumpers cut the Laker lead to 13-10, but Mercyhurst answered with a 14-0 spurt to take control. Keith Ellington, Leao, Dailey, and each hit jump shots and then Beau Samuelson and Andy Hoying both scored to make it 23-10. Terrence Ingram sank two foul shots and Bilbo converted two tries from the line with 2:58 to play in the period. The Wolves got their offense going a bit as the half closed, cutting the deficit to 32-20 at the break.
 
Samuelson and Bilbo each scored to start the second frame. Cheyney came back with a jumper, but Samuelson sank a trey to stretch the lead to 39-22. Eventually, layups by Leao, Jonathan Ouegnin, and Bilbo made it 51-34 with 12:03 remaining. The Lakers maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the way. With 2:40 left, Ellington found Leao inside. The senior made the layup as he was fouled, giving him 1,001 points for his career as a Laker. He is the 16th Mercyhurst player to reach 1,000 points.
 
Leao hit 8-9 field goals and 8-9 free throws for 24 points. He also had six rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes. Bilbo posted 11 points, while Ouegnin, Dailey, and Samuelson each chipped in nine points. Ouegnin grabbed five steals and Dailey led the team with seven boards. Jason and Sabb and Jayvon Beaty each scored 20 points for Cheyney.
 
Mercyhurst shot 26-42 (61.9 percent) from the floor, a season-high. The Lakers hit 15-21 field goals in the second half. They also connected on 22-27 free throw attempts. The Wolves shot just 14-47 (29.8 percent) on their tries, including 5-27 accuracy in the first twenty minutes.
 
The Lakers are now 10-5 overall and 6-3 in the PSAC. Cheyney dropped to 5-8 overall and 3-6 in the league. Mercyhurst hosts Clarion in a PSAC Western Division contest Wednesday, January 16. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip at the MAC.