Box Score Erie, Pa.- Mercyhurst overcame a slow start on Wednesday night to secure a 62-52 win over Canisius. The win served as the Lakers third straight win and second against Division I opponent in their first four games.
 

How it Happened:
The Lakers first Division I home matchup started off slow as baskets were hard to come by for both teams in the first 10 minutes of play. Graduate Student Jeff Planutis kicked things off for Mercyhurst with a breakaway dunk, but after his dunk the Lakers didn't get on the board for six minutes of gameplay. Lucky for them, Canisius wasn't knocking most of their shots down either and they were only able to put seven points on the board in that time period. Mercyhurst finally grabbed their first lead of the game after nine minutes on a Bernie Blunt III free throw. Both teams heated up in the final six minutes as they combined for 38 points over that span. A seven-point swing at the end of the first half, that included five points from Blunt, gave the Lakers a 29-25 point lead at the break.
 
Coming out of the half, Canisius quickly tied things up on their first two possessions. Over the next three minutes, the Lakers went on a 10-5 run that included baskets from Planutis, Blunt and Charles McClennehan Jr., but Canisius wouldn't give up. Two Tana Kopa three-pointers gave the Golden Griffins a 44-43 lead. It didn't last long though. A 16-3 run that spanned six minutes helped the Lakers to secure their third straight win.


 
 Highlights:
The duo of Bernie Blunt III and Jeff Planutis continued to dominate as they welcomed their first Division I opponent to Erie. Blunt dropped 16 points, including nine points from beyond the arc, while also knocking down five of six free throws. Planutis had his third game with double digit points in the first four. He scored 15 points and also recorded three assists in a team-high 33 minutes on the court.
 
 Next Game:
Mercyhurst will travel to Manhattan for a test against Columbia University. The action starts at 12:00 p.m. and it can be caught on ESPN+.