ERIE, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team dropped an 82-76 decision to cross-town rival Gannon during Saturday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference contest on Saturday at the Hammermill Center. Despite the loss, the Lakers claimed the No. 4 seed in the PSAC West as the team begins play in the PSAC Tournament on Monday.

Lorenzo Collier led Mercyhurst scorers with 24 points while Durrell McDonald and John Majors contributed 16 and 13 points, respectively. Stephen Spurlock Jr. grabbed eight rebounds and Malcolm Walters dished six assists.

For host Gannon (17-9, 15-7), Matthew Dogan had a double-double, compiling 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assist. Zay Jackson, Gerrell Williams and Evan Phoenix contributed 16, 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Neither team gained a large lead in the first half, which ended in a 34-34 stalemate. The Knights twice led by five points while Mercyhurst was ahead by four on three different occasions.

The Lakers (13-13, 11-11) opened the second half with a 6-0 run on three-pointers by Malcolm Walters and McDonald and pushed their lead to eight points three different times.

Gannon chipped away at its deficit, eventually going on a 9-0 run to go up, 68-62, and take the lead for good. Dogan had six points during that stretch. Mercyhurst cut the gap to two points on three occasions after that, but never had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead after that.

Mercyhurst will host Slippery Rock on Monday in a PSAC Tournament First Round game at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.