ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's basketball team dropped a 46-44 decision Saturday afternoon to Gannon in the home opener at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center (MAC).
Callon Dailey led the Lakers with 14 points and seven rebounds.
It was a rough shooting day for both teams, as the first bucket wasn't scored until 3:28 into the contest. Gannon's Adam Blazek scored the first five points and teammate Mathew Dogan added a three at the 14:23 mark in the first half to put the Golden Knights ahead early, 8-0.
A made three-pointer form Terrance Ingram put the Lakers on the board with just a little over ten minutes left to play. Dailey would add a layup to cut the Gannon to lead three.
Mercyhurst would take its first lead of the game at the 4:28 mark when junior
Sean Beins drained a three to put the Lakers up one, 13-12. Another Beins three ball with 26 seconds remaining in the half gave the Lakers a, 18-14, halftime lead.
In the second half, the Lakers extended their lead to as big as 16 with 11:21 left to play. However, Mercyhurst would only score three points the rest of the way, as Gannon went on a 19-3 run to close the game. With Mercyhurst up by one, 44-43, Blazek hit a three with seven seconds on clock. Dailey's final shot attempt was blocked to seal the Golden Knight victory, 46-44.
Mercyhurst shot 33.3 percent from the field (17-51) and from three (7-21). Gannon out rebounded the Lakers, 38-28, while Mercyhurst only shot four free-throws (3-4) to the Golden Knights 19 (14-19).
With the loss, Mercyhurst falls to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. Gannon improves to 2-2, 2-0 PSAC.
The Lakers will be back in action on Tuesday, November 25, at the MAC against non-conference opponent Daemen College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
