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Baltimore, MD -- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team made history on Wednesday night when they downed Morgan State 78-73. In just their second game at the Division I level, the Lakers saw themselves add a one to the win column. 
 
How it Happened:
Early on, the Lakers looked like they were going to struggle to get on the board. In the first three and a half minutes, the Lakers were 0-4 from the floor, but a three-point shot from Junior Max Jusianiec helped to spark a solid first half from the field for Mercyhurst. Contributions came from all over the court as baskets came from three different players in their first three possessions that ended with points. It wasn't until one second in the half remained that the Lakers finally grabbed their first lead of the game. Graduate student Shemar Rathan-Mayes sank two free throws to give Mercyhurst a 33-31 edge at the break.
 
In the second half, Mercyhurst saw a lead as large nine points, but for the vast majority of the final 20 minutes, they found themselves in a dog fight. The second half featured 11 lead changes, with the final one coming with just 29 seconds remaining in the game. Morgan State's Wynston Tabbs snuck past the Laker defense for layup to give them a 71-69 lead with just over a minute remaining.  Senior Aidan Reichert tied the game up on the next possession before Graduate Student Jeff Planutis' clutch three-point shot helped to seal the victory. Planutis also knocked down four free throws in the final seconds to ensure the first victory of the year.
 
Highlights:
The Lakers didn't take long to get their first victory in Division I. They saw production from all over the court in a back-and-forth matchup. Freshman Mykolaus Ivanauskas came off the bench to lead the Lakers with 16 points. But he was just one of three players to record double-digit points. Reichert also tallied 15 to lead the Lakers starters and Senior Bernie Blunt scored 12. The Lakers will hope that the game serves as a launching pad as they return home to host their first ever Division I home game this Saturday.
 
Next Game:
Mercyhurst will be aiming to build on their momentum when they come home to host Houghton University on Saturday, November 9th. The action kicks off at 3:00 p.m. and can all be caught on the NEC Front Row.