Box Score
ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team rallied to beat Edinboro, 77-65 in overtime, Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
Andy Hoying tied the game with five seconds left in regulation and then the Lakers scored the first nine points of overtime to take the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.
An Edinboro free throw with 1:07 to go in regulation made it 59-55 Fighting Scots. The visitors came up with an offensive rebound, but after a timeout,
Jean Onana tied up Jonny Marsh. The possession arrow was in favor of the Lakers, who took over with 49 seconds remaining.
Jonathan Ouegnin found Onana for a rainbow three-pointer from the right wing, cutting the deficit to a point with 42 seconds showing on the clock. Mercyhurst fouled Henri Wade-Chatman with 20 seconds left. He split the free throws, giving the hosts a chance to tie the contest.
Onana lined up a three from the left wing, but it came up short. Fortunately, Hoying was there to collect the offensive rebound. He laid the ball in with five seconds to play, tying the game at 60. Marsh had a 30-foot try at the buzzer, but it just missed, sending the game into overtime.
Ouegnin pulled down a rebound on the Scots' first possession in the extra frame. He eventually found Lytle, who missed a jumper, but Ouegnin was there with a putback for a 62-60 advantage with 4:14 left. Onana came up with a steal and then Lytle sank a jump shot.
James Ewing followed with another steal, setting up Onana for a trey and a seven-point margin. Ouegnin yanked down another defensive board and then assisted on a Lytle lay-in, making it 69-60 with 2:12 remaining. Ouegnin closed the game by going 4-6 at the foul line.
Lytle led with 17 points and six rebounds. Onana hit four threes on his way to 15 points off the bench. Ouegnin added 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Hoying chipped in with four points and nine boards, while Dailey had six points and six rebounds. Wade-Chatman paced Edinboro with 22 points.
The Lakers shot 42 percent (29-69) from the floor, including 51.7 percent shooting in the second half. The Fighting Scots shot 38.5 percent (20-52) for the game, including a 1-6 accuracy in overtime.
Mercyhurst dominated the glass, securing a 45-30 advantage in rebounds. It outscored Edinboro, 36-14 in the paint and 19-3 in second chance points.
The first half was a slugfest, with neither team able to get much going offensively. The Scots led, 14-8, with 8:45 left in the frame. A Ouegnin three-point play and an Onana triple evened the score. After Edinboro regained its lead,
Sean Beins sank a three for a 21-19 lead with 2:26 to go. A Wade-Chatman three gave the visitors a 23-22 lead at the break. The teams combined to shoot 30.9 percent from the field.
The pace picked up in the second period, with the teams trading baskets for much of the half. After the opening four minutes, neither team led by more than three points until the Scots held a 56-51 advantage with 3:01 remaining. The Lakers responded with a game-closing 26-9 run from there.
The game was the Lakers' second OT venture of the season. They fell, 68-67, to Alderson-Broaddus November 16.
Mercyhurst moved to 8-7 overall and 4-1 in the PSAC. Edinboro fell to 7-8 overall and 0-5 in the league. The Lakers play at Slippery Rock on Saturday, January 18. The Western Division game is set for a 3 p.m. tip.
