Box Score

INDIANA, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team won, 67-56, at #10 Indiana (Pa.) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Quarterfinal Tuesday night. The Lakers advanced to the PSAC Final Four for the second time in three seasons with the win at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.
 
Mercyhurst used 37 bench points to post its first-ever victory at IUP and recorded the first road postseason win in program history. This marks the Lakers' third appearance in a conference tournament semifinal.
 
Coach Gary Manchel will take his squad to East Stroudsburg for the PSAC Final Four this weekend. The Lakers will face the second-ranked Warriors on Saturday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m.
 
On Tuesday, Mercyhurst trailed early, but rallied to pull within a point at halftime. In the second half, the Laker defense led the way, as it has all season. An IUP layup made it 40-36 Hawks with 16:49 left. Mercyhurst held Indiana without a made field goal for the next 8:35 as it swung the contest in its direction.
 
Andy Hoying made a three-pointer to make it a one-point difference with 16:23 left. Hi'an Hale followed with a steal and then a made free throw to tie the game at 40. Mercyhurst forced a miss, but Mathis Keita hit two foul shots on the Hawks' next trip. The Lakers then kept IUP off the board for the next 3:23 of action. Two Hale free throws tied the score and then Callon Dailey banked in a jumper. Greg Williams followed with a trey for a 47-42 advantage at the 13:45 mark.
 
Neither team made a field goal in the next 5:31 of play. Brandon Norfleet's layup broke the stretch with 8:14 remaining, with the Lakers ahead, 47-46. Sean Beins banked in a triple from the top of the key for a 50-46 lead at the 6:34 mark. Mercyhurst harassed the hosts into three straight misses following Beins' three, while Hoying scored in the paint for a 52-46 advantage.
 
After a pair of Indiana foul shots, Onana drained a trey with 3:47 showing on the clock, putting Mercyhurst ahead, 55-48. IUP scored a minute later, but Onana sank two free throws on the Lakers' possession. Keita made a free throw and then a layup to make it a four-point margin with 59 seconds to play, but Hale and Onana both converted a pair at the line. A Jonathan Ouegnin dunk sealed the decision as the Laker bench went wild.
 
Paul Bilbo made a putback to get Mercyhurst on the board in the first half. IUP went ahead, 7-2, but Onana and Hoying each hit jumpers to keep it close. A Dailey lay-in made it 10-8 Indiana with 14:02 to play. The Hawks eventually took a 15-8 advantage, but Beins finished a three-point play at the 12:48 mark. Beins made another layup a minute later, but a Devante Chance three gave the home team a 22-13 lead with 10:46 left.
 
Later in the frame, Hoying made a layup and then Terrence Ingram drilled a trey to pull within eight points with 6:28 remaining in the period. Beins followed with a layup to trim the deficit, and after two Keita foul shots, Onana connected from long range with just under four minutes left. Onana pulled down a rebound and found Hoying for a trey, making it 31-29 with 2:41 to play. Keita split two free throws and then Ouegnin scored inside to send the Lakers into halftime down, 32-31.
 
Onana led with 16 points, while Beins scored a career-high 13 points on 5-6 shooting. The sophomore had hit one three-pointer this season before knocking down two Tuesday. Hoying put up 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Keita and Marcel Souberbielle each scored 15 points for IUP.
 
The Lakers shot 23-48 (47.9 percent) from the field, while Indiana hit 15-40 (37.5 percent) of its tries. In the final twenty minutes, IUP shot 6-22 from the floor and 0-6 from deep. Mercyhurst converted 8-15 three-point attempts and held the Hawks to 2-14 accuracy. The Laker bench outscored IUP's, 37-2. Mercyhurst grabbed 32 rebounds, compared to 23 for the hosts.
 
Mercyhurst had lost its first 12 trips to Indiana before Tuesday's victory. It has now beaten the Crimson Hawks in each of the last four seasons; it is the only program to achieve that feat. The Lakers advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Final Four following the 2006-07 campaign and qualified for the PSAC Tournament Semifinals after the 2011-12 season.