0Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball ended their regular season schedule with a solid win over the Golden Knights Saturday afternoon. The Lakers crack 100 for the first time in over a year as they improve to 22-4 on the season overall and 18-4 in the PSAC in the 105-70 victory against their crosstown rivals.

How it Happened

First Half

Mercyhurst was able to get out to a nice lead in the first few minutes with three-point shooting proving to be big. The Lakers hit three in a row from deep with MiyKah McIntosh starting the run while Jeff Planutis finished it, allowing Mercyhurst to be the first to get to double-digits, 11-5.

Gannon stuck around, but a 9-4 run by the Lakers helped them grab the momentum and creep towards their first double-digit lead in the game. Aidan Reichert proved big during the run as he scored all nine of the team's points. He began the string of points with a three-pointer while going 6-6 from the free throw line as well, helping the Lakers claim a 26-18 lead.

Mercyhurst was able to find their rhythm down the stretch of the half as they were able to take a 43-31 advantage at the break.

Second Half

Mercyhurst slowly, but surely grew out their lead as the second half began. MiyKah McIntosh got it going in the early portion as he hit a pair of threes to open up the half. Michael Bradley followed with his own halfway through the canto to help give the Lakers their largest lead of the game ahead 68-46.

The Lakers continued to pile on as the game went along as their three-point shooting proved to be a major focal point. They ended up hitting nine in the second half with none being bigger than Nicholas Lang's at the 4:41 mark, giving him 18 points for the game and the 1,000th of his career. 

From there, Mercyhurst rolled to the win in dominant form by a final of 105-70.

Highlights

Lang finished with the team lead in points with 18 on a super-efficient 5-8 shooting. He added seven assists and seven rebounds to his line, making for another well-rounded game. With his 18 points, he becomes the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and is the second to do it in the past week, joining Michael Bradley. MiyKah McIntosh, Jeff Planutis, and Aidan Reichert all finished with 17 points apiece on 16-31 shooting with a combined 12 made three-point shots. For Lang and McIntosh, this win proves to be another big one against Gannon as they finish their careers a perfect 10-0 against their cross-town rivals.

Next Game

Mercyhurst now eyes the PSAC Tournament with their regular season schedule completed. They'll have a bye in the opening round on Monday with the team set to host either UPJ or Slippery Rock on Wednesday, March 1st, inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.