Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team beat Clarion, 61-54, Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers closed the game on a 18-10 run to pick up a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division victory.
 
Clarion grabbed a 44-43 edge on a Mike Kromka free throw with 6:44 remaining. Andy Hoying quickly put the Lakers back on top, hitting two foul shots on Mercyhurst's next possession. After a defensive stop, Anthony Lytle hit a jumper in the lane for a 47-44 advantage with 5:16 to go. A Golden Eagle turnover allowed the Lakers to expand the margin. Greg Williams threaded a bounce pass to Andy Hoying, who converted inside while being fouled. He hit the free throw, giving Mercyhurst a 50-44 lead with 4:34 left.
 
The visitors scored on their next trip, but Callon Dailey came back with a layup and then blocked a shot on the other end. Eventually, Clarion split a pair of free throws to make it a five-point difference. Another short jumper by Lytle stretched the margin, and then he sank two foul shots with a 57 seconds remaining.
 
Clarion scored to make it 56-51 with 36 seconds showing on the clock, but Jonathan Ouegnin made 3-4 free throws and Hoying connected on both of his tries at the line, sealing the decision.
 
Ouegnin led with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Lytle recorded 12 points and four boards, while Hoying added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. Kromka paced Clarion with 16 points and nine boards.
 
In the first half, both teams struggled offensively. Ouegnin made a steal and then scored in traffic for a 6-3 advantage after 4:16 of action. Clarion answered with three three-pointers, taking a 12-8 edge with 12:45 left in the frame. Buckets by Hoying and H'ian Hale kept Mercyhurst close and then Hale scored inside for a brief 16-15 lead. The Eagles responded with five straight points before Lytle's layup made it 20-18 Clarion with 4:28 to go.
 
Twenty seconds later, Ouegnin made a layup while being hacked. He hit the ensuing free throw for a 21-20 lead. Neither team could score until Sean Beins' lay-in with 46 seconds to play in the half. The Lakers entered the break with a 23-20 advantage.
 
The teams got rolling a little bit in the second half, trading baskets for much of the period. A nifty reverse layup by Ouegnin gave the hosts a 35-29 lead with 13:03 remaining. He followed with two free throws for an eight-point difference. Clarion rallied though, tying the game at 41 on two foul shots with 8:26 to play.
 
Mercyhurst shot 21-56 (37.5 percent) from the field and held the visitors to 19-52 (36.5 percent) accuracy. The Lakers converted 18-20 from the line and owned a 34-12 lead in paint points. Coach Gary Manchel's squad also maintained its string of holding its opponents under their season scoring average. The Lakers have contained all 17 foes below their season number.
 
Mercyhurst is now 9-8 overall and 5-2 in the PSAC. Clarion dropped to 3-12 overall and 1-6 in the league. The Lakers hit the road for their next three games, starting at Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday.