Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball gets the win on Saturday over Golden Eagles thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Lakers get their fourth 20-win season in their last five years with their 62-55 win over Clarion, moving to 20-4 overall and 16-4 in the PSAC

How it Happened

First Half

Jeff Planutis got off to a fast start, scoring the first eight points of the game with the final being a layup off the feed from Nicholas Lang to make it an 8-0 game with 16:17 to go in the opening canto. 

Clarion managed to go on a 10-5 run to pull within three as the Golden Eagles showed they would not go away quietly. The two teams battled hard the rest of the way in the first half with the score holding at 28-24 at the break.

Second Half

Mercyhurst was able to start strong in the final 20 minutes and reclaim a double-digit lead thanks to a two-point make from Nicholas Lang.

From that point on, the Lakers kept the Golden Eagles at arm's length until the final minute. Clarion made a run at the end to help them pull within six points, but Michael Bradley helped put things on ice with a jumper to help him collect the 1,000th point of his career.

Highlights

Jeff Planutis was the team leader in points with 21 on 8-17 shooting while knocking down a pair of threes and collected four rebounds and a steal. Pipeloluwa Ajayi came in second in points with a dozen while having eight rebounds and a pair of steals. With his final bucket of the game, Michael Bradley got his 1,000th point of his career, becoming the 16th player in Laker history to do so.

Playoff Picture

Mercyhurst moves to 20-4 on the season overall and 16-4 in the conference with them holding sole possession of second place in the PSAC West. They hold a one-game lead over UPJ who sits in third while IUP has a 3.5 game lead to retain first place in the PSAC West.

Next Game

Mercyhurst goes on the road for their next game as they travel to take on Seton Hill on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 7:30 p.m. They follow that with their season finale at Gannon on Saturday with tip-off for 3:00 p.m.