Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst men's basketball got their week started the way they want to as they were able get the win over Clarion on the own court. The Lakers were the hotter team to start as they staked themselves to a double-digit lead within the first few minutes and never looked back from there, collecting their 10th win of the season in the 74-64 victory.
How it Happened
Mercyhurst came out of the games as the aggressors with them able to jump out to a lead just a few minutes in. Sean Fullerton proved to be a big reason for the Laker's strong start with him having seven of the team's first 10 points. He was helped by Jeff Planutis who had six points in the first seven and a half minutes. It was the long-range shooting of the pair that allowed them to get off to such strong start as they hit three combined shots from deep to help Mercyhurst to a 17-5 lead at 12:29 mark of the opening frame.
The Laker's efforts on both sides of the floor did not dissipate as they went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes. Mercyhurst looked to go inside this time around with a trio of buckets in the paint. The biggest in that stretch belonged to Planutis who threw it down in transition to make it a 23-5 before hit came down on the team's next trip and hit his second triple of the game, 26-5, with 10:11 showing on the clock.
The Laker's offense slowed down from there, but their defense continued to stay stout. In the first half overall, Clarion could only muster 20 points while shooting a paltry 15% from the field while going 2-9 from deep. It was one of the better defensive performances over the course of the first period all year for the Lakers, helping them to a 32-20 lead at the break. Sean Fullerton and Jeff Planutis were the driving forces over the course of the first 20 minutes and helped Mercyhurst to that large lead as they combined for 26 points while shooting 10-18 from the floor with half of their makes coming from deep.
The second half was more of the same for the Lakers with them able to control final 20 minutes. They started off on a 20-13 run through the first seven minutes. Clarion came out of the break trying to confuse Mercyhurst with a full court press and while they were able to slow down the Lakers some, coach Manchel's crew got out on the break several times, helping them to a 61.5% shooting effort from the field while Clarion could muster only four makes in 13 attempts in that span. Thanks to their strong effort, Mercyhurst was able to extend their advantage to 52-33.
The Lakers continued to dominate both sides of the ball in the matchup as the second half counted to wind down. Clarion did all they could to keep pace, but the energy from Mercyhurst proved to be too much. Coach Manchel's team showed great energy on offense which led to plenty of open looks while their effort on defense turned into empty possessions for the Golden Eagles. Aidan Reichert ended up playing a big part in the second half as he finished with nine points in the final 20 minutes, shooting 4-6 to anchor Mercyhurst's attack.
Over the final eight minutes of play, the Golden Eagles ended up going on an 23-13 run to help them close the gap and begin to sniff a comeback. The team looked to slow the game down and get to the free throw line, but their efforts were not enough with the Lakers able to stave off the late run in the 74-64 Laker win.
Highlights
Jeff Planutis led all scorers with 24 points in this one, shooting 9-16 from the field while making four three-point shots. He added three rebounds and three assists to his line while sending back two shots, giving him one of his more well-rounded efforts so far this season. His 24 points were the second-most this year for the native of Hazleton, Pa. while being the eighth overall time he's eclipsed 20 or more points. Sean Fullerton had one of his better individual performances with 21 points thanks to a 7-16 effort overall, making a trio of triples. The sophomore guard has his hands all over this one, adding seven rebounds and five steals to his line as well to set new career-highs in both boards and swipes. The Lakers had one of their stronger efforts in rebounds in this one with 35 boards for the third-most in any single game so far this year, tying their marks against D'Youville in mid-November and Bloomsburg in their first game of 2024.
Next Game
Mercyhurst goes on the road to close out the month of January as they are set to go to Slippery Rock to see the Rock on Wednesday, January 31st in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off before beginning February on Saturday the 3rd at 3:00 p.m. on the road against Pitt-Johnstown.
