Slippery Rock, Pa.—Hot shooting helped the No. 11/20 Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team hold off a surging Slippery Rock Monday night to walk away with a 73-66 win.
How it Happened
After beginning the game with the two teams exchanging the lead multiple times, Mercyhurst appeared to be pulling away with a seven-point run to give them a 25-15 lead at 10:35 in the first half.
Instead, Slippery Rock answered with a run of their own to cut into the lead and eventually take the lead away momentarily at 5:04. After growing their lead again, the Lakers could only take a 34-32 lead into halftime.
The second half mirrored the first, with Mercyhurst pulling away only for The Rock to cut into the lead again. The Lakers' largest lead of the game came from an Aidan Reichert layup at 12:21 to make it 55-42.
From there, Mercyhurst needed only to hold on, matching Slippery Rock's scores and riding the clock to the end. Both Pipeloluwa Ajayi and Cameron Gross fouled out in the second half, but the game had already been put away.
Well-Oiled Scoring Machine
Gross led all scorers with 18 points in the contest, leading four Lakers who scored 10 or more. MiyKah McIntosh and Steve Cannady each contributed 14 points, and Nicholas Lang added 10.
The Lakers made 54 percent of their shots from the floor and 44.4 percent from three-point range, topping their season averages in both categories.
Turnovers Kept it Close
The Lakers, second in the nation in turnover margin entering Monday, turned the ball over 16 times compared to Slippery Rock's 15. The Rock would turn those turnovers into 22 points, while Mercyhurst scored just eight points off turnovers.
Up Next
The Lakers return home Wednesday to do battle with the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown on Owen McCormick Court. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
