HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Mercyhurst fell to Marshall 69-60 at the Cam Henderson Center on Thursday evening. Despite generating 10 steals and displaying strong defensive stretches, the Lakers couldn't match Marshall's perimeter production, finishing 3-for-16 from three while the Thundering Herd hit 12 of 29 from beyond the arc.

Marshall opened the first half with an early lead, but Mercyhurst responded. Mykolas Ivanauskas knocked down a three in the second minute to tie the game at 3-3.

The Lakers continued to convert on second-chance opportunities. Jake Lemelman hit a jumper in the fifth minute to cut the deficit to 8-5, and Ivanauskas had a tip-in at the 12th minute to bring the Lakers within 18-17. A dunk by Qadir Martin in the 13th minute gave Mercyhurst its first lead, 19-18, before Marshall closed the half on a run to take a 27-23 advantage into the break.

Mercyhurst opened the second half with momentum as Bernie Blunt III connected on a three in the second minute to narrow the gap. Marshall answered with a series of timely shots from deep, steadily building its lead as the half progressed. Lemelman kept the Lakers within reach, scoring consistently on drives and mid-range looks en route to a career-high 21 points.

Martin provided a late spark with a layup and tip-in during the closing minutes, but the Lakers were unable to close the margin. Marshall held a 42-37 edge in the second half to secure the 69-60 win.

Lemelman led Mercyhurst with 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting and added five rebounds. Blunt scored 10 points and recorded three steals, while Martin finished just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Cameron Johnson contributed two points and two steals.

Up next, the Lakers are back in West Virginia to face WVU on November 30 at 3:00 p.m. streaming live on ESPN+.