Erie, Pa. - 2023 began the same way 2022 ended for Mercyhurst Men's Basketball: with a win. The Lakers flipped the calendar and began with Edinboro at home with Mercyhurst able to grab the win. Coach Manchel and company move to 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in conference play as they grab yet another blowout victory.

How it Happened

The Lakers got it going early on as they came out of the gates hot, building a solid lead in the first few minutes. Their three-point shooting proved to be something they could rely on to begin the game as they hit three treys in the first several minutes with the final coming from Michael Bradley to make it a 20-11 game with just over 13 minutes to go in the first half.

From there, the Lakers slowly but surely grew out their advantage as they were able to go into the halftime break up 39-22.

The second half was more of the same for the Lakers with them stepping on the gas and never looking back from there. Their defense proved to be stifling as they held the Fighting Scots to a 1-8 line from deep in the second while they only shot 25.9% from the field overall in the final 20 minutes. 

It was once again Mercyhurst's shooting from deep that helped them build their lead as six of their first 13 makes in the second half were triples. The final three of those half-a-dozen makes from three came in a row with a bomb from Nicholas Lang being the final blow at the 10:28 mark to give the Lakers their largest lead of the game to that point as they found themselves in front 66-34.

From there, the Lakers rolled to the win, giving them another dominant victory. 

By the Numbers

Over the course of Mercyhurst's seven-game win streak, they have outscored their opponent by 20 more points in every game including four games in which they've won by 30 more. Coach Manchel's crew remains undefeated at home as they move to 6-0 at home for their longest winning streak on Owen McCormick Court since the shortened 2020-21 season when they went a perfect 8-0.

What's Next

The Lakers head back out on the road for their next contest as they are set to travel to IUP on Saturday, January 7th. Mercyhurst has a tough matchup on their hands in the form of the Crimson Hawks as they were named the #1 team in DII in the most recent poll. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.