Washington, D.C.- Mercyhurst wasted little time showing that they can compete at the Division I level on Monday evening when they traveled to the nation's capital to play George Washington. The Lakers, who kicked off a non-conference slate that includes 10 away games in their first 15 games, fell 76-59 to the Revolutionaries, but saw solid play all over the court.   

How it Happened:  

Mercyhurst kicked the game off with a 10-2 run that spanned just under three minutes. Shemar Rathan-Mayes scored the first basket of the season, as he got into the lane and hit a step back jumper to get the Lakers on the board. Senior Aidan Reichert then registered Mercyhurst's first assist of the season on a dish to Graduate Student Jeff Planutis to give the Lakers an early 4-2 lead. On the next possession, Reichert knocked down a three-pointer to put Mercyhurst up five. George Washington didn't roll over though. In the final 17 minutes of the first half, they clawed their way back into things. A 15-2 run tied the game at 20 before Graduate Student Shemar Rathan-Mayes scored on back-to-back possessions to put the Lakers back in front. At the half, the Lakers and Revolutionaries went into the locker rooms deadlocked at 29.  

In the second half, George Washington was able to dust off the cobwebs and slowly pull away. The Revolutionaries were able to continue controlling the boards like they did in the first 20 minutes of action. In the second half, they held an 18-16 edge in rebounds. It also seemed as if they couldn't miss as they hit nearly 60 percent of their shots. Trey Moss, Darren Buchanan Jr. and Rafael Castro helped seal George Washington's 76-59 victory as each had double digit points. Buchanan Jr. and Castro also both recorded double-doubles. 

Highlights:  

The Lakers welcomed back their record-breaking forward, Jeff Planutis, who dominated play in the PSAC. Planutis managed to put up an impressive stat line in his Division I debut as he dropped 21 points and was perfect from the free throw line. Fellow Graduate Student, Rathan-Mayes, had a solid first half as he recorded nine points in his first 20 minutes as a Laker. Rathan-Mayes finished with 11 points and did a great job handing opposing pressure.  

In a game that saw 5 lead changes, Mercyhurst held the Revolutionaries to just 17.4% shooting from beyond the arc.  

Next Game:  

The Lakers will look to rebound when they take on Morgan State this Wednesday, November 6th. Action kicks off at 7:00 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.