Indiana, Pa. - Mercyhurst went on the road for a midweek matchup with Indiana (Pa.) Wednesday night with the Crimson Hawks able to defend their home floor. It was a highly contested opening half of play that saw Mercyhurst hold a three-point lead at the halftime break. That did not last, though, as the Crimson Hawks went on a 14-0 run at one point during the final 20 minutes of play to help give them the lead, and momentum, in the 66-54 final.
How it Happened
The Lakers came out as the aggressors and were able to grab the lead in the early going. Their defense came out strong, allowing IUP to hit only two of their first seven shots while holding them to without a point for almost four minutes. On offense, it was Jeff Planutis once again setting the tone for Mercyhurst as he scored seven of the team's first nine points with a pair of made free throws at the 14:22 mark of the opening frame making it a 9-4 score in favor of the Lakers.
IUP did not stay down for long, though, as they managed to score five-straight points to help them tie things up with just over 13 minutes remaining in the frame thanks to a made layup. The offenses slowed down from there as both defenses picked things up. The Lakers were able to reclaim the lead thanks to three-straight made shots to make it 15-11 with 9:47 left until halftime while Mercyhurst's defense continued to play well with their counterpart shooting just 20% from the field to that point.
Defense continued to be the name of the game as the first half began to draw to a close. Mercyhurst held a slim advantage for much of the canto until made three from the Crimson Hawks with 2:26 to go made it a 24-24 game. The Lakers were able to end the first stanza strong with them going on a 5-0 run to make it a 29-24 game thanks to a layup from Aidan Reichert followed by Alexander Parks' made three to help give Mercyhurst a 31-28 lead the at the break.
The Lakers came out of the break as the better team, going on an 8-5 run to being the frame. It was a three from Planutis that helped make it a 39-33 game with 16:19 in favor of Mercyhurst, giving them their largest lead of the game at that point. IUP ended up using a full court press to frustrate their opponent to help the Crimson Hawks take a lead. Indiana ended up scoring 16 unanswered points to help them claim a 49-39 lead with just over 12 minutes to go in the game, taking all the momentum near the midway point.
Mercyhurst looked to claw their way back into the game after finding themselves down by double-digits, but were never able to pull off the comeback. Reichert put together a strong effort during the final 20 minutes of play with the junior from Jackson Center, Oh. able to score 10 the second half. His performance was not enough, though, as IUP's lead stayed around 10 for much of the final 12 minutes of play in the 66-54 decision.
Highlights
Aidan Reichert led the way for the Lakers in scoring with 18, shooting 8-11 from the field while grabbing six rebounds, four assists, and three steals, all team highs as well. Reichert's 18 is tied for the second-most points in a single game this season for the junior and is the sixth time in his last eight games he has reached double figures. He was followed Jeff Planutis who finished with 15, hitting five shots in the game with three of those coming from deep.
Next Game
Mercyhurst takes some time off before their next game as they do not see the floor again until Wednesday, January 17th. The team returns to their friendly confines for a midweek matchup with Edinboro with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
