Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst men's basketball played their lone game on the week Saturday afternoon with Fredonia coming to town for an exhibition. Mercyhurst was able to dominate in the matchup with the Blue Devils as they allowed only 24 points for the fewest ever in program history, coming away with the 83-24 win.
How it Happened
The opening six minutes of the game ended up being close with the largest lead during that time being seven points for the Lakers after a fast break layup from Alexander Parks made it 15-8 with 15:10 on the clock. After a made three-pointer from Fredonia made it 15-11 with just over 14 minutes to go, the Lakers went on an extended run to put this one out of reach in opening half.
The Lakers stepped up in a big way in the next 13 minutes as they held their counterparts without a point in that time. The Blue Devils struggled to shoot from anywhere from the floor during the span as they went 0-13 while Mercyhurst managed to cause 11 turnovers. The Lakers paired their strong defensive effort with solid shooting, going 18-33 (54.5) from the floor in the opening through the first 20 minutes to be able to take a 51-16 lead into halftime.
Mercyhurst's defense continued to play well in the second half of the game, allowing just eight points by Fredonia. After turnovers proved to be an issue in the opening period, they once again were a thorn in the side of the Blue Devils as they coughed up the ball on 16 occasions over the final 20 minutes. That strong defensive effort proved to be more than enough for Mercyhurst in the win as their lead continued to grow out further and further until ending at 59 in the 83-24 win.
Highlights
Four Lakers finished in double-figures with Aidan Reichert finishing as the leader with 15 in the game on 4-9 shooting, going 7-9 from the free throw line, while adding two rebounds and three steals to his line. Max Jusianiec followed with 13 points, being the only Laker to hit multiple three-point shots with two to his line. Freshman Alexander Parks came away with nine points on a 4-7 effort from the field while having a team-high eight rebounds to go along with six steals, filling up the stat sheet. The Laker's efforts on defense proved to be a historic one with the 24 points allowed being the fewest in program history while their 59-point advantage is the largest since the team defeated D'Youville by 68 during the 2020-21 season by a final of 99-31.
Next Game
The Lakers now turn their attention to conference play as they are set to play West Chester on Monday, December 18th, in a 7:30 p.m. tip. Mercyhurst hosts the Golden Rams in that one with Millersville to follow on the 19th in a 3:00 p.m. start.
