Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team beat Bloomsburg, 65-52, Saturday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Luis Leao had 16 points and nine rebounds in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover victory.
 
The Lakers have now won seven of their last eight games. They are one of three teams at 5-2 in the PSAC. IUP, Gannon, and Mercyhurst are all one game back of Western Division-leading Slippery Rock after Saturday's action.
 
Against Bloom, the Lakers pulled away from an early tie and never looked back. A Leao jumper evened the score at 8 with 16:08 remaining. Leao then made a three-pointer to take the lead. After a Husky hoop, Andy Hoying scored inside and made the ensuing free throw. Jonathan Ouegnin came back with a trey to stretch the advantage.
 
Bloom answered with a three of its own, but Paul Bilbo's layup and a jump shot by Leao put the hosts back in control. Beau Samuelson sank a triple to make it 24-13 with 8:30 left in the first half. Zach Sheetz hit a three and Lorenzo Christmas made a jumper to keep the visitors close, but Bilbo made another lay-in and then Keith Ellington hit from long range. Terrence Ingram followed with another trey to give the Lakers a 32-20 lead. Mercyhurst eventually went into halftime with a 34-23 advantage.
 
A 10-0 spurt early in the second half gave the Lakers all the cushion they needed. Bloom made a jump shot to make it 36-29 with 15:54 to play, but Hoying's layup was followed by a Leao three-point play. Callon Dailey drained a three-pointer and then Samuelson hit Leao for a layup with 12:43 showing on the clock. Mercyhurst led 46-29 and the Huskies never threatened again.
 
Leao led his team in scoring for the 12^th consecutive game. He was 6-9 from the floor, including a triple. He grabbed three steals in 31 minutes. Bilbo contributed 10 points, four boards, two blocked shots and two steals. Hoying added nine points and four rebounds, while Dailey had nine points. Sheetz led Bloom with 15 points on five threes.
 
The Lakers used a 20-12 advantage in points in the paint and a 20-9 lead in points off turnovers. As a group, Mercyhurst shot 51.1 percent from the field and held the visitors to 38.3 percent accuracy.
 
Mercyhurst improved to 9-4 overall and 5-2 in the conference. Bloom is 2-9 and 0-7 in the league. The Lakers play at West Chester on Friday, January 11, in their next game. Tip-off for the PSAC crossover is slated for 7:30 p.m.