Box Score

ERIE, PA – A 20-3 second half Mercyhurst run put the Lakers in control late as the 11th-ranked IUP men's basketball team fell 57-48 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West matchup on Saturday afternoon.

The loss drops the Crimson Hawks to 19-4 and 15-4 in conference play, one game ahead of rival Slippery Rock for first place in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst improves to 15-10 overall, 11-8 in the conference.

It was a 4-4 tie early in the game before the Lakers exploded for a 15-2 run over a 5:53 span to take a 19-6 lead midway through the first. IUP responded with three-pointers by Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School), Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) and Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) which helped cut the Crimson Hawks deficit to two at 19-17 a few minutes later before heading into halftime with a 24-22 lead.

IUP scored nine of the first 12 points of the second half before the Lakers went on their huge run, ending it with a pair of free throws while heading into the last media timeout of the game with a 45-36 lead.

The Crimson Hawks would attempt get back into the game but Mercyhurst went on to make 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch to help seal the nine-point victory.

Three different players scored double-figures for the Lakers who got a team-high 19 points from Luis Leao.

Keita led the way with 12 points for IUP while Souberbielle finished with nine.

Both teams combined for 39 turnovers while the Lakers outrebounded IUP 30-21.

The Crimson Hawks are back in action on Wednesday as they host Edinboro in another key PSAC West matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.