MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's basketball teams seven game win streak came to a halt Saturday afternoon at Pucillo Gymnasium, losing to the Marauders, 87-81. Damon Jones led the charge for the Lakers, scoring a game-high 19 points.

With Millersville leading by 11 at the 5:23 mark in the second half, Mercyhurst was able to cut the lead to two with 30 seconds remaining. The Lakers went on to outscore Millersville 16-7 during the span, but fell short of the comeback. The Marauders were perfect from the free-throw line down the stretch to hold on for the victory.

Mercyhurst trailed throughout the contest, never able to steal the lead. This afternoon's game marked the first time the Lakers defense has let up over 80 points in regulation.

In the first half, Mercyhurst trailed by as many as 16, but back-to-back three-pointers by Jean Onana and Jones' buzzer beater before the first half cut the deficit to 10.

After a Millersville lay-up to open up the second half, Mercyhurst went on an 8-1 spurt to close within five at the 16:51 mark. James Ewing started things off when he received a pass from teammate Terrence Ingram that set him up for a fast break slam. Back-to-back lay-ups from Gerrae Williams and Callon Dailey finished off the run.

However, The Marauder offense was able to stand strong against the tough Laker defense. Millersville shot 57.1% from the field, made nine three-pointers, and went 30-33 from the free-throw line.

Mercyhurst finished at 47.5% from the field and went 8-20 from downtown. Three Lakers scored in double figures with Jones at 19, Williams scoring 15, and Kayode Ajenifuja dropped a career-high 12.

The loss drops Mercyhurst to 8-4 overall and 5-2 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. Millersville improves to 5-7, 2-5 PSAC.

Mercyhurst will be back in action January 3 when the go on the road to face off against Shippensburg. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.