ERIE, Pa. — The Mercyhurst men's basketball team fell to FDU 74-67 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center, despite a strong defensive effort that included 12 steals and five blocks. The Lakers led 32-28 at halftime, but the eight 3-pointers and a 46-point second half by FDU proved decisive. The game featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes, underscoring its competitive nature.
The Green and Blue opened the first half by overcoming an early deficit and generating crucial defensive stops. After trailing 6–0, Mykolaus Ivanauskas put the Lakers on the board with a layup at 16:59.
Jake Lemelman and
Bernie Blunt III provided momentum with key steals and scoring plays, including a 3-pointer by Blunt that tied the game at 11–11.
The Lakers then capitalized on turnovers, with
Deshaun Jackson Jr. assisting on fast breaks, pushing the score to 19–13. Despite FDU's efforts to keep pace, the Green and Blue maintained pressure and extended the lead with a jumper by
Christian Gamble at 3:51. The half concluded with the Lakers leading 32–28, thanks to a final jumper by Jackson Jr.
The Lakers opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Gamble, assisted by Ivanauskas, to maintain an early lead. However, a series of successful 3-pointers from FDU shifted momentum, bringing the visitors into a tight contest. The Green and Blue managed to respond with effective free-throw conversions and scoring in the paint, keeping the game closely contested.
The half saw both teams trading leads and tying the game multiple times, with
Qadir Martin's fastbreak layup giving the Lakers a brief advantage. Despite aggressive defensive efforts, including two blocks, Mercyhurst was unable to pull away, ending the half trailing by a narrow margin. The scoreboard closed at 74-67, with FDU outscoring the Green and Blue in the second half.
Blunt led the Lakers with 21 points, making all eight of his free throws and recording two steals. Jackson Jr. scored 10 points on perfect shooting from the field and added six assists. Lemelman contributed 12 points and collected four steals. Martin posted eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
Mercyhurst fell to 5-9 overall and 0-1 in NEC play following their loss. FDU improved to 4-10 overall and 1-0 in conference competition. They will be back at the MAC Sunday at 2:00pm as they host Le Moyne.
