California, Pa. - After dropping a pair of games to the Vulcans last season, Mercyhurst Men's Basketball got their revenge in enemy territory in the 66-65 win. Cal made a run late to add some drama to the contest, but in the end, the Lakers held on to move to 12-2 overall and 8-2 in the conference.
How it Happened
The Lakers got it going early as they scored the first four points of the game. They all came courtesy of Pipeloluwa Ajayi as he cleaned up a miss for the first points then the sophomore threw it down after a nice feed from MiyKah McIntosh.
From there, the Vulcans went on a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 7-6. The two teams played even from that point on as neither team could grab a major advantage. The Lakers used their three-point shooting to help them reclaim the lead as they knocked down a pair of threes with Sean Fullerton draining the first to make it a 14-12 game with 13:21Â to in the first canto.
The first half continued to be a back-and-forth affair from there as the Lakers could only muster a one-point lead going into the break. From the time of Fullerton's made three, there were three ties along with five lead changes while the lead for either team was never more than five. Mercyhurst continued to lean on their shooting from deep as they canned six shots overall through the first 20 minutes to help them keep pace with their counterpart and take a 36-35 lead into the locker room.
The Lakers got it going to begin the second half as they were able to jump out to a double-digit lead. Coach Manchel's crew went on a 9-0 run, holding the Vulcans scoreless for the first six minutes of the final frame, helping Mercyhurst grab a 45-35 lead.
Cal finally found a rhythm on offense and began to put up some points, hoping to cut into the deficit. They were not able to do so as Mercyhurst continued to have a rebuttal and keep their opponents at arm's length down the stretch of the second half. After a made three by the Vulcans, Mercyhurst managed to go on a 5-0 run with the final three coming from the hoop and harm as McIntosh converted the three-point play.
Cal ended up going on a run in the final few minutes of the game, making it a 64-60 game with just one minute to go. They made a pair of free throws to pull within two before a Mercyhurst miss and Vulcan timeout. Cal looked to tie or take the lead as the clock began to wind down, but a travel sealed the win for the Lakers as a Vulcans foul allowed Nicholas Lang to get to the free throw line and make a pair in the 66-65 win.
By the Numbers
Jeff Planutis led the way once again with 22 points on 9-14 shooting. The native of Hazleton, Pa. registered his sixth game of 20 points or more this season and his second straight after a season-high of 23 last Saturday against Slippery Rock. He was helped by Nicholas Lang who had 11 points on 3-4 shooting from deep and seven rebounds. Turnovers proved to be a key factor as the Lakers forced 19 Vulcan mistakes for 22 points off turnovers for coach Manchel's crew to help seal the victory.
What's Next
Mercyhurst returns home for their next game as they are set to square off against their rivals, Gannon, on Saturday. The Golden Knights make the short trip to the other side of Erie for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
