Indiana, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball traveled to take on the #1 team in the country in IUP Saturday evening with the Crimson Hawks getting the better of the matchup. IUP ended up going on a run down the stretch to help them remain undefeated as Mercyhurst goes to 9-2 on the year in the 80-67 loss.
How it Happened
The two teams battled in the early going as both offenses were in rhythm. IUP opened up the game with the first six points with the Lakers responding with an 8-2 run to pull even thanks to a pair of threes with Nicholas Lang and MiyKah McIntosh draining one apiece. Mercyhurst proved they were not going to be beaten easily as there were four ties and eight lead changes over the course of the first seven minutes with the advantage never being more than six for either team.
The Crimson Hawks found their rhythm on offense midway through the first half as they went on an 11-2 run to take a 29-20 lead with just over eight minutes left in the first canto. The Lakers didn't allow things to get worse from there, going on a 6-0 run to pull within three. Jeff Planutis knocked down a triple before Aidan Reichert got a trey the old-fashioned way with the hoop and harm, making it 29-26.
He had 10 of Mercyhurst's last 16 points with Reichert ending the first half as the only Laker in double figures as the score stood at 39-34 with IUP in front at the break.
The action at the start of the second half looked much like the first as Mercyhurst hung around with the Crimson Hawks. The Lakers shared the ball well to begin the second canto with their first five made baskets coming from five different players. The final of those five came courtesy of Reichert who then made the next two baskets for the Lakers to give him 17 points as the score stood at 56-50 at the 10:26 mark of the second half as IUP remained in front.
The Crimson Hawks ended up taking control of the game down the stretch of the second half, going on a 13-6 run with IUP able to take their biggest lead of the game at 69-57 with under four minutes to go. The Lakers were unable to erase the deficit in the final few minutes as the late IUP run proved to be the decisive blow in the 80-67 loss.
By the Numbers
The Lakers shot very well in this one, going 11-27 from deep while going 10-11 from the free throw line. The scoring was led by Aidan Reichert who finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-13 shooting while going 3-6 from three and 4-5 from the charity stripe, adding in a trio of rebounds and assists in 33 minutes of play. The sophomore's 23 points set a new career high which previously came against Kutztown in the 2021-22 season when he had 21.
What's Next
The Lakers look to regroup next week when they host a pair of PSAC games with Shepherd and Slippery Rock set to come to Erie. Mercyhurst sees the Rams on Wednesday, January 11th, at 1:30 p.m. with the team set to play Slippery Rock on the 14th with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.
