Box Score Loretto, Pa.- Friday night was a historic night for Mercyhurst, but also one they'll want to forget as they move forward on their first ever NEC road trip. In the Lakers first ever road conference game, they fell to Saint Francis as they dropped to 1-2 in conference play.
 
How it Happened:
Through the first half of action, it looked like the game was going to be a tightly contested one. In the first five minutes of action, both teams had their share of opportunities, and every time one took advantage of theirs, the other did the same. But 11-2 run for Saint Francis, that featured uncharacteristic misses from both Graduate Student Jeff Planutis and Senior Aidan Reichert, gave the Red Flashes all the momentum in the matchup. But that momentum didn't last long. A Laker run that was capped off by a nice jumper from Planutis knotted the game at 24. A Juan Cranford Jr. three pointer was the difference at the end of the first half, however, as Saint Francis went into the half with a 32-28 lead.
 
The second half started with some good play from Mercyhurst. A Bernie Blunt three point jumper to give them a 37-35 lead just three minutes into the half. The lead was short lived and the final one they would take on Friday. Over the next 10 minutes, it felt Saint Francis couldn't miss, regardless of what shot they took. In that span, they sank 10 of their 13 shots from the field. On the other side, Mercyhurst was struggling to make anything. The final seven minutes saw the Lakers convert just one shot from the field as Saint Francis pulled away to earn a 73-59 win.
 
Highlights:
The Lakers had three players hit double digit points. Bernie Blunt, Shemar Rathan-Mayes and Jake Lemelman scored 13, 11 and 10 points respectfully. The Lakers will hope to get this production again on Sunday and put everything together as they aim to get back to .500 in league play.
 
Next Game:
The Lakers will continue on their four-game road trip as they'll embark for Syracuse, NY. this Sunday to take on Le Moyne for the first time this season. The action kicks off at 2:00 p.m. this Sunday.