Erie, Pa.—In their final game of the calendar year, the No. 3 Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team suffered their first regular-season loss of 2021 as they fell 85-72 at home against East Stroudsburg Sunday afternoon.
Mercyhurst looked like their usual selves as they took an early lead on a Steve Cannady layup at 17:43 and led by as much as nine halfway through the second half. East Stroudsburg responded with a 12-point run to take the lead, and finished the half on top 33-32.
After talking things over in the locker room, Mercyhurst stormed back and was able to briefly take back the lead early in the second half. The two teams exchanged one-possession leads several times, with Mercyhurst taking a 55-54 lead with 10:14 left.
But East Stroudsburg took control from there, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line over the next 8 minutes to stake themselves to a 74-63 lead. Mercyhurst was forced to turn to the foul game, and the Warriors exploited that by making all nine of their free chances to counter the Lakers' nine points down the stretch.
Crossover Upsets
Mercyhurst, ranked No. 3/7 heading into the week, was not the only nationally-ranked PSAC team upset Sunday. Indiana (Pa.), ranked No. 6/3 this week, lost their first game of the season as well, 72-60 against visiting Shippensburg. Mercyhurst defeated Shippensburg earlier this season, 80-67, on the road.
Slippery Rock remains the only team in the PSAC without a conference loss.
By the Numbers
Freshman Aidan Reichert led Mercyhurst with 15 points – nine of them in the final 10 minutes – while Cannady and MiyKah McIntosh followed with 13 points each.
The 85 points allowed to East Stroudsburg was the highest total allowed by the Lakers this season, while their own 72 points is a new low for them as well.
Coach's Corner
Up Next
The Lakers will look to start a new streak in the new year as they head to Gannon Jan. 5.
