Greensburg, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball added one more win to their ledger Wednesday with their win over the Griffins. Seton Hill had proven to be tough to beat at home, but their friendly confines proved to be a moot point as the Lakers won 84-62.
How it Happened
First Half
It was a game of runs to begin things between the two teams. After Seton Hill fired the opening salvo, Mercyhurst went on an 11-3 run to claim a six-point lead with 15:54 to go in the half. The Griffins battled their way back over the next few minutes as they tied the game at 14-14 with just over 12 minutes to go in the stanza.
The canto remained close for the next several minutes as there were three ties and two lead changes over the course of seven minutes. It wasn't until the Lakers scored nine unanswered points that they were able to regain control. Mercyhurst's work from deep proved imperative as a three-point make from Nicholas Lang gave the Lakers their first lead in over six minutes as he made it a 27-25 game.
Shots continued to fall from deep as Dasan Doucet got in on the action late in the half as well, helping Mercyhurst go on a run in the final few minutes. His and Lang's triples began a 17-9 run to take a 41-34 lead into the break.
Second Half
The Lakers came out of the locker room and grabbed their first double-digit lead of the game as they turned defense into offense off of the Aidan Reichert steal and layup.
The Griffins managed to keep the game close for the next few minutes, but Michael Bradley helped give Mercyhurst a boost thanks to his shooting from deep. He drained a three and got the whistle for the foul, making the ensuing free throw to give the Lakers their largest lead to that point as they found themselves ahead by 14 with just over 13 minutes to go in the game.
From that point on, the Lakers were able to keep their counterpart at arm's length as Mercyhurst's advantage continued to climb with the margin getting as high as 25 points. In the end, coach Manchel and company improved to 21-4 on the year, winning their eighth game in their last 10 tries in the 84-62 victory.
Highlights
Michael Bradley and Jeff Planutis both scored 20 points in this one, combining for a 13-24 effort from the floor. Bradley came close to a triple-double, adding 10 assists and seven rebounds to his ledger, giving him the first double-double of his career and a new career-high in assists in a game. Planutis proved important on the boards as well as he had nine rebounds while Nicholas Lang had eight to go along with 19 points, five assists, and a pair of steals
Playoff Picture
With this win, the Lakers secure a bye in the opening round of the PSAC tournament. They'll have to wait until next Wednesday, March 1st, to play their first postseason game of the 2022-23 campaign as they now have solidified their spot in second in the PSAC West.
Next Game
Mercyhurst rounds out their season schedule this Saturday as they're set to take on the Golden Knights. The Lakers make the short trip across town to play Gannon as the two teams are set to begin things at 3:00 p.m.
