New Britain, CT.- Mercyhurst dropped their third straight away game on Thursday night as they fell 73-63 to Central Connecticut State. The Lakers have just three games left in the 2024-2025 season and will be looking to finish above .500 in conference play.
How it Happened:
Mercyhurst and Central Connecticut State came out going back and forth in the key NEC matchup Thursday night. It wasn't until five minutes into the game that either team was able to grab a firm lead. After a
Bernie Blunt III three pointer, Mercyhurst kicked off a 17-4 run that spanned just four minutes of action, but featured baskets from Senior
Aidan Reichert, Freshman
Deshaun Jackson Jr., Graduate Student
Jeff Planutis and Blunt. But from that point the Lakers were able to grab just one more basket in the next four minutes as the Blue Devils stormed back to tie the game at 24. Planutis finally broke the scoring drought for Mercyhurst, however, to retake a quick lead. Just a couple minutes later, CCSU went on an 8-0 run before the Lakers closed the half with a trio of scores to take a 38-35 lead at half.
But in the second half, the Blue Devils were able to come out and take a commanding lead. Thanks to scores from Jordan Jones and Devin Haid, the Blue Devils came out and took a 51-42 lead as Mercyhurst struggled to get going on the offensive end. Planutis helped to make the game a two possession contest with nine minutes to go, but that's the closest the Lakers would get. From there, CCSU controlled the action as they pulled away for a 73-63 win.
Highlights:
Deshaun Jackson had his best game of the season as he accounted for 13 points, but the Lakers struggled to get things going consistently in the matchup. Planutis scored 14 and Blunt dropped 18 as the Lakers lost just their second game in their last six contests.
Next Game:
The Lakers will be back in action on Saturday for their final road game of the season. They'll take on Stonehill at 3:30 p.m. and the action can all be caught on the NEC Front Row.
