Box Score INDIANA, Pa.—The Mercyhurst men's basketball fell to IUP in the PSAC Championship 56-49 on Sunday.
 
Patrick Smith led the Lakers with 15 points.  Jason Massey recorded another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and led the team with two blocks. 
 
For IUP, Jacobo Diaz led the Crimson Hawks with 14 points and 12 boards recording a double-double as well.
 
In the first half, IUP had an early lead before Mercyhurst (23-7) went on a 6-0 run to give the Lakers a 12-11 lead. Diaz would then lay in a basket for the Crimson Hawks regaining the lead and never looking back. This would start an IUP 16-3 run to head into the half up 29-16.  
 
Indiana, Pa. (29-2) opened up the half pushing its lead to 16 before a MiyKah McIntosh layup would start a 9-0 run for the Lakers cutting the deficit to nine, 36-27. Just under the 10 minute mark of the second half, Nicholas Lang hit the Lakers first and only three of the game going 1-17 from the floor cutting the lead back down to nine.

Armoni Foster would answer Lang's three pushing the IUP lead back up to 12. With 1:31 left in the game, Patrick Smith cut the deficit to only seven off of an and-one layup. The Crimson Hawks wouldn't allow MU to cut the deficit much more and would close out the game winning 56-49. 
 
On the day, MU shot 29.3 percent from the floor compared to IUP's 37.7 The Lakers outrebounded the Crimson Hawks, 39-37. Mercyhurst had 12 turnovers while IUP had 10.
 
Next Up: The Lakers will wait to see if they earned a spot in the NCAA tournament with the selection show tonight at 10:30 PM.