As the Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team rolls into Thanksgiving break, they will be thankful for a 5-0 start to their season after downing Bryant & Stratton College 86-35 Tuesday night.
The Lakers got out to a quick start, posting seven uninterrupted points before Bryant & Stratton called their first timeout with 17:23 left in the first half. Mercyhurst would add nine more points before the Bobcats finally got on the board with a pair of free throws from Jawuan Brown to make it 16-2.
Out to an early lead, the Lakers kept the ball on the perimeter, taking exactly half of their first-half shots from out beyond the arc. However, they shot an uncharacteristically-low 19 percent from three, forcing them to settle for a 45-12 lead as they headed for the locker room.
Looking to get things headed in the opposite direction, Marcus Zappia put the first two points on the scoreboard in the second half for Bryant & Stratton. Zappia played the entire first half and most of the second, totaling 14 points over 36 minutes.
Seconds later, Aidan Reichert put in a layup of his own to start another six-point Lakers run. Reichert made his first start of the season, in place of Cameron Gross, who was scratched before the game. The freshman went on to post 10 points and five rebounds over 16 minutes of play.
With most of the starting five getting a breather in the second half, the Lakers were still able to out-score the Bobcats 41-23 to take a 51-point win into their Thanksgiving break. The margin was the highest for the Lakers this season.
Including Reichert, four players reached double-digits for Mercyhurst. Steve Cannady led the way with 12 points in just 24 minutes, while Nicholas Lang and Pipeloluwa Ajayi each scored 11 points.
Three players scored their first points of the season in Tuesday's win. Freshman Liam Galla scored his first collegiate point with a free throw in the second half. The Erie native wound up with six points and five rebounds. Kofi Osei scored his first five points of the season, and Junior Oscar scored his first two as well.
Up Next
The Lakers will return to action Dec. 3-4 as they head on the road for a weekend road swing, first at Shippensburg and then to Lock Haven. Both games will be the second half of women's and men's doubleheaders.
