Mansfield, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball looked refreshed in their first game back from their holiday break as they claimed their sixth straight win. The Lakers move to 4-1 in PSAC play and 8-1 overall, claiming their sixth straight win of 20 points or more in the 88-58 victory over Mansfield.
How it Happened
The game started off with the two teams playing even as there were five lead changes and two ties through the first 10 minutes of action. After the Mountaineers scored the first four points of the game, the Lakers got to work with Nicholas Lang getting hot. The native of New Market, Md. scored seven of the Laker's first 11 points with the final two coming from a layup that tied things at 11-11 with 13:54 on the clock.
Mercyhurst began to find their rhythm down the stretch of the first half as they went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game. After a made Mountaineer free throw made it a 20-18 game, the Lakers started their run with MiyKah McIntosh beginning the stretch off a made three from the corner.Â
Lang then made a layup followed by a pair of free throws while Jeff Planutis followed with a layup of his own to make it a 29-18 game with just over five minutes to go in the first half. The Lakers didn't let off the gas as they continued to control the game on their way to a 38-24 halftime lead.
Coach Manchel's crew has made a knack of shooting well from deep in the second half of games and this one was no different as the Lakers made a handful of treys in the early going of the second half. The first came courtesy of Lang just a minute and a half into the canto with Michael Bradley on the assist. The pairing of Lang and Bradley connected again for another triple six minutes later while Sean Fullerton, Dasan Doucet, and Jeff Planutis each made one as well with Planutis' making it a 63-38 game with 10:03 remaining.Â
From there, the Lakers continued to keep their opponent at arm's length as Mercyhurst rolled to their sixth straight win of 20 points or more in the 88-58 win.
By the Numbers
Nicholas Lang led the way with 19 points on 7-11 shooting with three of his makes coming from deep while adding six rebounds, seven assists, and a career-tying five steals to his line. He was helped by Aidan Reichert who finished with 16 points on 6-8 shooting while collecting seven rebounds. Mercyhurst crashed the offensive glass with 18 rebounds on that end compared to Mansfield's four and the Laker's defense proved to be suffocating, forcing 21 turnovers.
What's Next
The Lakers return home for their next contest as they are set to host Edinboro on Wednesday, January 4th, at 7:30 p.m.
