Box Score

North Easton, Ma.- Mercyhurst closed out the road portion of their schedule on Saturday when they fell to Stonehill 85-73. It was the Lakers second straight loss and their third in their last four games. Mercyhurst finishes their road schedule with a 4-14 record away from Erie. 

How it Happened: 

Through five minutes of play, the teams seemed to be even on both ends. But it was Stonehill who was able to capitalize on most of their opportunities in the early going. The Skyhawks Louie Semona and Todd Brogna were able to make it an 11-6 ball game. The Lakers continued to claw back as Freshman Deshaun Jackson Jr. nailed a three pointer to make the score 13-11. But the Lakers didn't hit another field goal for three minutes which helped Stonehill gain a 19-13 lead. But over the next minute, the Lakers scored seven straight to take their first lead of the game. It was the lone time the Lakers had an advantage in the first half. Stonehill was able to grab the lead back quickly and key shots from Brogna and Semona helped them grab a 40-36 lead at the break. 

Graduate Student Jeff Planutis opened up the half with a dunk that was quickly answered on the other end by Semona with back-to-back baskets. But scores from Jackson and Shemar Rathan-Mayes made the game 45-44. The Lakers continued to fight back at every turn, Stonehill had answer. At the nine minute mark, Semona knocked down a triple to make it a seven point game. Three minutes later, Senior Aidan Reichert had it back to a four-point game. But that was the closest they would get as the Skyhawks pulled away for a 85-73 win. 

Highlights: 

Rathan-Mayes scored 19 points as he led the team in scoring. Planutis and Reichert also had 11 and 16 points, respectively. The trio went 16-37 from the field as they were only players on Mercyhurst to score more than 10 points. 

Next Game: 

The Lakers have just two games left. They'll welcome FDU to town on Thursday, February 20th. The action can all be caught on the NEC Front Row.