ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated crosstown rival Gannon, 48-37, in the inaugural Porreco Pride of Erie Game Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center (MAC) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division battle. With the win, the Lakers improve to 13-4 overall and 10-3 in the PSAC, while the Golden Knights fall to 3-13, 2-11 PSAC.
Gannon jumped out to an early six point lead, 9-3, five and a half minutes into the game and would lead by as many as seven throughout the first half. The Lakers would erase the Golden Knights' 24-17 advantage with 4:56 remaining in the half with a 7-2 run down the stretch. Mercyhurst would trail by two, 26-24, heading into the break.
Damon Jones and
Kayode Ajenifuja combined to score 21 of the Lakers' 24 first half points.
Mercyhurst took their first lead of the game, since leading 2-0, when
Gerrae Williams broke a 29-29 tie with a fast break layup off one of his two steals.
From there, the Lakers would open up their largest lead of the game (12), going on a 15-5 run over a 9:08 span. Mercyhurst would hold a double-digit lead the rest of the way, defeating Gannon by 11 – their largest win over the Golden Knights since the 2009-10 season at home, when they defeated Gannon, 58-46.
Jones was awarded the Porreco Pride of Erie Game Changer Award, given to the student-athlete whose performance had the greatest impact on the game. Jones finished with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, draining four 3-pointers, and posted three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Ajenifuja also had an impact type game, recording 15 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
Mercyhurst finished shooting 38.3% (18-of-47) from the field and was 6-of-18 (33.3%) from downtown. Gannon held the rebound advantage, 34-30.The Lakers will travel to California (Pa.) for another PSAC West battle Saturday afternoon, seeking their eighth straight win. Tipoff from Cal is slated for 5:00 p.m.
