ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's basketball team knocked off #16 Indiana (Pa.) in the final seconds of regulation Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center (MAC), 58-55. Jean Onana was the hero, knocking down a three-pointer with two seconds to play. Onana led the team in scoring with 11, as he was the only player to reach double-digits. The win marks the first time Mercyhurst has swept the season series with the Crimson Hawks since joining the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in 2008-09.

Another slow start forced Coach Gary Manchel to call a thirty second timeout with IUP jumping out to an early 9-2 lead. Callon Dailey would drain one of his two three-pointers out of the timeout to spark a 9-0 spurt, giving the Lakers their first lead of the game, 11-9. Terrance Ingram and Gerrae Williams followed with threes of their own to conclude the run.

With eight minutes to play and the game tied at 18, the Crimson Hawks opened up a six point lead to, 26-20. Mercyhurst went on to score the last five points in the final minutes of the half, taking a one point deficit into the break, 26-25. This season, the Lakers were 5-6 when trailing at halftime coming into tonight's contest.

Mercyhurst came out to start the second half on a 9-1 run, to open their largest lead of the game, 35-27. James Ewing got the run started, finishing a layup inside to regain the lead. Another Dailey three was followed by an Andy Hoying trey, to give the Lakers a 33-27 advantage. Sean Beins would close the spurt with jumper from the wing at the 15:33 mark.

Indiana (Pa.) would get within one with 5:03 to play, when Jeremy Jeffers knocked down a three for his only points of the game. Shawn Dyer would make it-back-to-back threes for the Crimson Hawks, giving them their first lead of the half, 49-47. Damon Jones would give the Lakers the lead back, draining two free-throws, followed by a remarkable finish off a Williams missed jump shot. Jones' layup gave the Lakers a two point lead, 51-49. Devante Chance tied the game at 51 on the following possession, stealing a Williams' pass and taking it the length of the floor for the lay in.

After each team exchanged a pair of baskets, the game was knotted at 55 with 24 seconds to play. Coming out of a thirty second timeout, Mercyhurst had possession and could hold for the last shot. Onana would receive the handoff from Dailey and fired a three into the air, banking it off the glass and in, to give the Lakers a three point advantage with two seconds on the clock.

IUP had a great look to tie the game on a pass that went the length of the court, but Jeffers was unable to connect, as the Lakers went on to win their second consecutive game.

The Lakers made 10-of-20 (50.0%) three-point field goals in the win, their second highest output this season. In the first matchup between the two schools earlier this year, Mercyhurst went 7-of-11 (63.6%) from downtown, their highest shooting percentage from three this season.

With the win, Mercyhurst improves to 17-7 overall and 14-5 in PSAC play. Indiana (Pa.) falls to 20-4, 14-4 PSAC. The Lakers are now a game back of Gannon and Indiana in the PSAC Western Division race. Mercyhurst has three games remaining on the schedule, two of which are on the road in the final week of the regular season.

Mercyhurst will be back in action Saturday, when they host Clarion at the MAC for senior day. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.