Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team fell, 73-71, to Pitt-Johnstown Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers will host California (Pa.) in a first round Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament game Saturday.
 
Mercyhurst trailed for the majority of the contest Wednesday, but rallied late, tying the game in the final minute. UPJ led, 39-28, at halftime and took a 49-35 lead with less than 15 minutes to play. Callon Dailey hit a three-pointer and H'ian Hale drained a jumper to chip away at the deficit. Hale sank two foul shots and then Dailey made a layup, making it 51-44 with 12:08 left. After Ian Vescovi scored the visitors, Dailey connected on another trey, pulling with six points.
 
Pitt-Johnstown went up, 59-49, with 9:31 showing on the clock. Two Jean Onana jumpers trimmed the deficit, and after the teams traded free throws to make it 64-58 at the 6:43 mark, Anthony Lytle scored inside. After a defensive stop, Jonathan Ouegnin tipped in Hale's layup, putting the hosts down two points. A pair of Ouegnin foul shots evened the score at 64 with 4:59 to go.
 
Andrew Cressler put UPJ back ahead, but Ouegnin drove and threw a two-handed dunk on the other end, tying the contest at the 3:37 mark. The Mountain Cats responded with a three, but Lytle scored to make it a one-point difference. Vescovi put the Cats back up, 71-68, with 1:19 to play. Dailey blocked a corner three attempt, setting up an Onana triple from the right corner. The three made it 71-all with 21 seconds showing on the clock. Matt Palo made a layup with three seconds left and then collected a steal on the Lakers' possession, giving UPJ the road win.
 
Ouegnin, one of four seniors honored prior to the contest, tallied 15 points, four assists, and four rebounds. Dailey and Onana each scored 12 points, while Paul Bilbo posted six points and nine boards. Lytle added eight points and five rebounds. Vescovi led five Cats in double figures with 15 points.
 
Mercyhurst shot 50 percent (24-48) from the field. UPJ hit 51 percent (25-49) of its attempts. The Lakers held a 32-26 rebounding advantage.
 
The Lakers concluded the regular season with a 15-11 overall record. They went 11-5 in the Western Division, taking the third seed. UPJ finished 13-13 overall and 6-10 in the league, missing the postseason.
 
Mercyhurst will host Cal on Saturday, March 1, at the MAC. The Lakers beat the Vulcans, 64-51, at home last month and then took a 63-56 decision at Cal on February 5. The winner of Saturday's game will play at #11 Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday, March 4.