Box Score Erie, Pa.- The Lakers bumped their winning streak to three games on Thursday night when they beat instate rival, St. Francis, 62-58. With the win, Mercyhurst worked their way back up to fourth place in the NEC in their first season in the conference. The Lakers were once again led by the trio of Blunt, Planutis and Reichert who accounted for 56 combined points.
 
How it Happened:
Senior Aidan Reichert and Graduate Student Jeff Planutis once again got off to a hot start. The duo accounted for the Lakers first ten points. But St. Francis was able to keep up with the duo and through the first seven minutes, the game was knotted up. St. Francis took their first lead after Daemar Kelly nailed a three pointer, but it was short lived as Reichert answered with back-to-back jumpers. Those shots kicked off a 12-3 run that spanned nearly seven minutes and saw St. Francis hit just one of eight shots during that time. The slow stretch helped the Lakers grab a 29-23 at the half and saw Bernie Blunt III cap off the half with a three pointer for Mercyhurst.
 
The Red Flash came out swinging in the second half. Within the first four minutes of the half, the Lakers. But Planutis hit a clutch three point field goal to keep the game in the Lakers possession. Three minutes later, St. Francis took back the lead for a short time after a Miles Webb layup. The next four minutes featured the sides going back and forth with a total of eight lead changes. The eighth and final lead change of the bout came when Blunt squeezed past the defense for the go ahead layup. The Lakers first chance to seal the game for good came with a minute to go when Reichert missed a free throw and immediately down at the other end, Riley Parker hit a game-tying three pointer. Reichert made good on the ensuing possession though, as he hit the game-sealing layup to help Mercyhurst retake the lead once and for all.
 
Highlights:
The trio of Blunt, Reicher and Planutis once again led the Lakers to a victory. This time it was their third in a row. Blunt led the way with 22 points and three assists. His performance included him hitting on all four of his free throws. Planutis nailed three of his eight three pointer attempts on his way to scoring 18 points. To this point, he has now scored double digit points in 21 games. Reichert scored 16 on the day and grabbed eight boards. The Lakers are now fourth in the conference and they'll have an opportunity to strengthen that position on Saturday against FDU, who is third in the conference.
 
Next Game:
The Lakers will get on the road and head to Teaneck, NJ. to face off with FDU for the first time. The action will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and can be caught on the NEC Front Row.