Box Score Kent, Oh.- Mercyhurst traveled two hours west to take on the Kent State Golden in their 13^th nonconference matchup. The Lakers fell 82-57 as they also drop back below .500 after they lost their third game in their last five.


 
How it Happened:
Kent State started the game on an 11-0 run and it felt like the Lakers couldn't make a shot. Almost four minutes in, Freshman Jake Lemelman finally got Mercyhurst their first points on a layup. Lemelman accounted for five of the Lakers first eight points. Back-to-back buckets by standout Graduate Student Jeff Planutis then brought the game back to within five points. But an 11-4 run that spanned nearly five minutes gave the Golden Flashes a 31-17 lead with just under four minutes left in the half. The Lakers entered the half down 36-24.
 
Mercyhurst kicked off the second half with layups from Max Jusianiec and Aidan Reichert. The next field goal from either team wouldn't come for another two and a half minutes. Lemelman recorded his second and third three-pointers, but another run helped Kent State continue to pull away. In the final seven minutes of action, the Golden Flashes outscored Mercyhurst 22-12 to seal 25-point victory.


 
Highlights:
Planutis scored double-digit points once again as his impressive season continues. He shot 46.2% from the field. Lemelman led the team with three three-pointers. Deshaun Jackson Jr. recorded a team-high five assists, four rebounds and three blocks.
 
Next Game:
Mercyhurst will play their final nonconference games next week. The first of which will be a road contest against Binghamton on Wednesday. The action kicks off at 5:00 p.m. and can be caught on ESPN+.