Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball stepped foot on Owen McCormick Court for the first time in the 2022-23 season and they were not disappointed. The Lakers hosted D'Youville Wednesday night with Mercyhurst able to get the better of their counterpart in the 89-54 win.

How it Happened

Mercyhurst wasted no time establishing an early lead as they found themselves ahead by double-digits just five and a half minutes into the game with a three-point make from Nicholas Lang and never looked back from there. The Lakers used an advantage in size and physicality to help them jump out in front in the early going as nine of their first 10 makes were in the paint with the final one being an and-one from Jeff Planutis to make it a 28-9 game with 8:08 remaining in the first half.

The remainder of the opening frame was more of the same as Mercyhurst continued to get in close to the rim and make shots. They finished the first canto with 20 points in the paint while making good on most of their free throw attempts, going 8-10 in the opening 20 minutes. The defense proved to be just as good as the offense in the early going for the Lakers as they limited their opponents to a 7-29 (24.1%) shooting line from the field in the first half, helping them take a 37-16 lead into the locker room.

The second half proved to be a lot like the first with Mercyhurst holding a 52-38 lead in the frame. The Lakers looked to do more damage from the outside after returning play as they knocked down six of their 13 three-point attempts after going 3-10 in the first half. Much of their success from long range came in the earlier stages of the second canto as four of their first eight makes were from beyond the arc.

The team's continued success on offense proved to be too much for D'Youville to try and overcome. The Saints found themselves in too big of a hole to begin the second half and with Mercyhurst shooting 54.1% from the field and 46.2% from three in the final 20 minutes there was nothing they could do in the end as Mercyhurst took the contest 89-54.

By the Numbers

Jeff Planutis led the way for the Lakers once again as he finished the game with 22 points, tying his season-high which came in the team's game against West Chester as he now has three straight games of 20 or more points. Michael Bradley followed with 17 points on an efficient 6-10 shooting in just 21 minutes of play while grabbing six rebounds and recording a team-high four assists. Pipeloluwa Ajayi finished with 10 points and six rebounds while having a career night on defense. The sophomore blocked five shots in the game to tie his career-high set against Seton Hill in early February of last season with four of those blocks coming in the first half.

What's Next

The Lakers return to their friendly confines in just a few days as they are set to host Alliance University on Saturday, December 10th, with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m.