Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst men's basketball had a tough fight on their hands in the form of Indiana (Pa.) Wednesday night. The two teams battled back-and-forth all night long making for an exciting contests that needed not one, but two overtime periods to decide a winner. The Lakers were in complete control in the final five minutes to help them reach .500 on the year in the 93-85 victory to help Head Coach Gary Manchel reach yet another major milestone with career win 500.
How it Happened
The Lakers started off as the hotter team as they owned a 16-7 lead at the under-12 media timeout. Jeff Planutis led the way for the Lakers over the course of that strong stretch, notching six points to lead the team while being the only player to make multiple shots up to that point. IUP did not stay down for long, though, as they came out of the media timeout and went on a 6-0 run over then next few minutes to cut it to a three-point game, 16-13.
The two teams continued to fight back-and-forth as the first half continued to wind down. The Lakers proved to be a little too much, though, as they ended up taking a double-digit lead with 4:34 left to go in the opening half. Planutis stayed the focus of Mercyhurst's offense with him scoring 12 points up to that point in the half to lead all scorers. The last of his six makes over that time was a layup at the 5:09 mark which was followed by a made triple from Sean Fullerton to make it 32-21 in favor of Mercyhurst. The Crimson Hawks continued to whittle down the lead and eventually did so to pull within two as they went on an 11-2 run with two minutes remaining in the opening stanza with the score standing at 36-35 with the Lakers in front.
The beginning of the second half was more of the same for both teams, going back-and-forth through the first few minutes. Every time the Lakers would get a bucket, IUP was there with an answer to help keep them close as Mercyhurst's advantage never got to more than five, taking a 46-43 lead into the first media timeout of the second half. Defense ended up ruling the next few minutes with neither team able to find some consistency scoring with the Lakers going into the under-12 media timeout up 49-44 as both teams looked to begin to control the momentum.
The two teams continued to fight one another and keep things close as the second half wore on. Mercyhurst managed to hold onto their slim lead, finding themselves in front for the majority of the second half. Indiana looked to use a full-court press to help them stymie their counterpart, but the Lakers found a way to break it and stay in the lead. It was not until a made three from IUP at the 6:30 point of the second to help them tie things up, 57-57. The Lakers once again had an answer as Planutis nailed his second triple of the game to make it a three-point lead once again, showing they would not dwindle in the final few minutes.
The Crimson Hawks managed to tie things up with a three just over three minutes, but Planutis once again had an answer, getting three points the hard way and helping the team to a 65-62 lead with just under three minutes to go. He added onwith another hoop and harm on the team's next possession to give Mercyhurst a 68-62 lead and the momentum the team needed. IUP did not let in, though, fighting all the way back and tying things up in the final ticks on a layup to make it 70-70 at the end of regulation.
One overtime proved not to be enough as the two teams remained tied, 79-79, before the Lakers ended up taking control in the final five minutes. It was Sean Fullerton who did a lot of the heavy lifting for Mercyhurst over the course of that time as he had eight-straight points to begin the period to help propel the Lakers to a 87-79 lead with 1:28 to go in the game before Mercyhurst coasted to the win in dramatic fashion.
Highlights
Head Coach Gary Manchel secures the 500th win of his career with this win over the Crimson Hawks. Manchel has amassed a winning percentage of .590 over the course of his 31-year career and has worked his way to a career of 370-215 during his time on the sidelines for the Lakers, making him the winningest coach in program history and a legend on the hardwood in Division II. The Lakers had four players finished in double figures in points with Jeff Planutis leading the way with 35 for the second-most points in a single game for his career. The graduate guard finished 13-23 from the field while hitting two of his seven attempts from deep and being a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. His efforts on the boards were just as impressive with a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals.
Next Game
Mercyhurst gets some time off before their next game as they do not hit the hardwood again until next Wednesday, February 14th, when they play Edinboro. The Lakers make the short trip across the county to see the Fighting Scots with a 7:30 p.m. scheduled tip-off.
