ERIE, Pa. — The Mercyhurst men's basketball team (13-15, 8-7 NEC) fell to Wagner (10-16, 5-10 NEC) in a closely contested game, 80-83, at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Thursday night. Despite the Lakers' 10 steals and 19 points off turnovers, it could not overcome Wagner's advantage at the free-throw line.
The game commenced with the Lakers taking an early lead, thanks to
Jake Lemelman's 3-pointer and
Bernie Blunt III's successful free throws. Despite the Lakers' efforts, including
Qadir Martin's jumper and free throws, Wagner managed to pull ahead with a series of successful jumpers and 3-pointers, culminating in a 35-26 lead by the end of the first half. Wagner outperformed the Lakers in rebounds, contributing to their advantage at the close of the first half.
Mercyhurst overcame a 12-point deficit to tie the game at 67 with under a minute remaining, thanks to a key layup by Martin and clutch free throws by Blunt III. In the final moments, Lemelman added a free throw to put the Lakers up by three, but Wagner's Eddie Placer sank a 3-pointer with one second left to bring the score to 70–70. The half concluded with both teams tied, and the game proceeded into the next phase.
The Lakers faced a challenging overtime, initially holding a slight lead with contributions from
Sean Lang's free throw at 3:42. However, Wagner responded, taking the lead with a 3-pointer by Nick Jones at 3:27 and extending it further. Lemelman kept the Lakers within reach with critical layups and a jumper, narrowing the gap to 78–75 at 1:25. Despite Lemelman's late 3-pointer assisted by Blunt III to make it 81–80 with 14 seconds remaining, Wagner secured the win with free throws by Travis Gray. The game concluded with Wagner prevailing 83–80.
Blunt scored 24 points, including three 3-pointers, and recorded three steals. Lemelman finished with a career high 27 points, making four 3-pointers, and added three assists. Martin posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds while blocking two shots.
The Lakers will be back home Saturday to face LIU at 2:00 p.m. for Senior Night.
