Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst men's basketball played their final game before the holiday break, getting the win over Millersville. The Lakers found themselves in the middle of a tough, back-and-forth fight fight that ended up going the way of Mercyhurst thanks to a pair of late clutch threes from Jeff Planutis in the 64-56 win.
How it Happened
The beginning proved to be a defensive battle with the score reading 4-2 at the first media timeout at the 14:52 mark. The Laker's defense smothered their counterpart in the early going, leading to a 2-6 shooting effort from Millersville in the first five minutes. The Marauders were able to begin to find their rhythm after a three-point make and a pair of free throws made it a 9-2 game with 13:29 to go in the first half.
Defense continued to be the theme of the game as it was not until the 9:51 mark of the half that either team was able to get into double-digits in points as Millersville held a 11-9 lead. Aidan Reichert did not allow his team to stay down long thanks to a driving layup to make it 11-11, giving the junior five-straight points. From there, the two teams traded buckets with Riechert making another layup while Sean Fullerton nailed a three from the corner to make it a 16-16 game going into the under-eight media timeout.
Mercyhurst managed to claim a lead going into the break. Jeff Planutis ended up going on a five-point run with a made three followed by a pair of made free throws that helped propel the Lakers to a 32-28 lead at the break.
The Lakers were able to keep their counterparts at arm's length for the first 10 minutes of the second half and retain their lead. Millersville threatened to take back the advantage as they got it all the way down to two, but Mercyhurst never relinquished. It was once again Jeff Planutis getting it done for the Lakers as he was able to get up to 13 points in the game. A made three and a layup from Sean Fullerton gave Mercyhurst a burst to help them pull ahead with their first double-digit lead of the games at 48-37 with 9:49 to go in the game.
Mercyhurst's lead remained in the double-digits for three minutes until a Marauder three at the 3:54 mark made it 55-48. From there, Millersville continued to chip away at the deficit before making it a 55-53 score with just over two minutes to go before back-to-back threes from Planutis gave the Lakers all the momentum they need of secure the 64-56 victory.
Highlights
Planutis led the in scoring with 23 points on a 7-13 shooting effort to go along with four rebounds and a trio of assists. He was followed by Aidan Reichert who had 15 point on a 7-14 performance while having six rebounds. As a team, the Lakers made nine three-point shots in total, going 9-23 from deep with Planutis, Sean Fullerton, and Alexander Parks each hitting multiple treys.
Next Game
Mercyhurst has some time off before their next game as they do not see the court again until Saturday, December 30th, when they go on the road to see Shepherd in a 3:30 p.m. tip-off. They then come home to open 2024 as they face Bloomsburg on January 3rd followed by Pitt-Johnstown on the 6th.
