SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball team had four players reach double-figures and held the host American International College to just five points over the final six minutes as they stayed unbeaten with a 78-62 triumph over the Yellow Jackets on Saturday afternoon at Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.

The Lakers got off to a fast start with Michael Bradley converting a running layup and MiyKah McIntosh hitting from long range to lead 5-0 just over a minute in.  A triple from Shyheim Hicks on the ensuing possession sparked a 7-2 flight by the home side to claim the 7-5 edge with 17:43 to go.  Over the next 1:12 the big men went to work for Mercyhurst as Daniel Ogele, Melkisedek Moreaux and Cameron Gross all scored for the 11-9 advantage.  Franklyn Batista cut the deficit down to one, 13-12, before McIntosh hit from deep to push the lead back to 16-12.  AIC used the following four minutes to charge to ahead 23-20 thanks to an 11-4 run led by seven from Jordan Vidal.  Nicholas Lang, Zach McIntire and Gross then responded with a 9-1 push to reclaim the 29-24 lead with just under five minutes to go.  Steve Cannady, Gross, McIntire, McIntosh, and Ogele each chipped in two points the remainder of the frame to help Mercyhurst outscore AIC 10-7 to lead 39-31 at the break. 

McIntosh began the second half with a bang netting the first five points to open the margin to 13, 44-31 with 18:44 remaining.  The two sides split the following dozen points allowing the Lakers to hold on to their cushion at 50-37.  Cannady and Moreaux both knocked down a pair of free throws to give the visitors their largest lead of the day to that point, 56-40 with 6:05 gone.  A Branislav Terzic triple sparked the Yellow Jack attack as they went on a 15-2 romp during the next 4:12 to close within one possession at 58-55.  During that stretch Walter Covington, Carlos Hubb, Jalen Jordan and Vidal all contributed offense, while Ogele offered the only bucket for the guests.  Moreaux then decided to take matters into his own hands scoring the next eight Lakers points, which included a thunderous dunk extending the margin to 66-57 with seven minutes left.  Mercyhurst left no doubt the rest of the way as they outpaced AIC, 12-5 the rest of the way including keeping the Yellow Jackets scoreless for a 4:06 span during that time for the 78-62 final.      

Team Stat Pack
Field Goal % - Hurst, 47% (31-66) / AIC, 44% (22-50)
Three Point % - Hurst, 19% (4-21) / AIC, 29.4% (5-17)
Foul Shooting % - Hurst, 85.7% (12-14) / AIC, 61.9% (13-21)
Rebounds - Hurst, 42 / AIC, 29
Turnovers - Hurst, 12 / AIC, 14
Points off Paint - Hurst, 38 / AIC, 32
Bench Points - Hurst, 24 / AIC, 29
Time with lead - Hurst, 34:30 / AIC, 3:36

Mercyhurst Individual Stats
Points - McIntosh (17), Bradley and Moreaux (12), Ogele (10)
Rebounds - Gross (8), Lang (7), McIntire and Ogele (5)
Assists -  Bradley (4), Lang (2)

American International Individual Stats
Points - Vidal (14)
Rebounds - Batista (6), Golding (5)

On Deck
The Lakers return to the friendly confines of the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Wednesday afternoon at 3pm when they welcome the Golden Eagles of Clarion University.