EDINBORO, Pa. (December 6, 2014) – Jaymon Mason's potential game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds remaining the contest was off the mark, as the Edinboro men's basketball team dropped a 67-65 decision to visiting Mercyhurst in a PSAC Western Division matchup on Saturday afternoon at McComb Fieldhouse. The Fighting Scots fell to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while the Lakers improved to 5-3 on the year and 3-1 in league play.
 
With Edinboro facing its largest deficit of seven points at 62-55 with 2:23 to play in the game after a pair of Mercyhurst free throws, Mason knocked down a 3-pointer on an assist from Henri Wade-Chatman to cut the Lakers' lead to four at 62-58.
 
After Mercyhurst's Terrence Ingram turned the ball over on the next possession and the Lakers committed a foul, Mason connected on a pair of free throws to shrink the Lakers' advantage to 62-60 with 1:39 remaining.
 

The two teams traded baskets on the next two possessions, before Mercyhurst's Andy Hoying nailed a jumper to give the Lakers a 66-62 lead with 47 seconds to play.
 
Mike Beck would respond with one of his career-high five 3-pointers to once again trim the Mercyhurst lead to one at 66-65 with 36 seconds remaining in the game.
 
Edinboro committed a foul seconds later, before Gerrae Williams hit one of two free throws to put the Lakers on top 67-65. Beck would miss a 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Fighting Scots were forced to commit another foul sending Mercyhurst's Andy Hoying to the free throw line with 20 seconds remaining.
 
Fortunately for Edinboro, Hoying missed the front end of the one-and-one and Quinn Lee Yaw secured the rebound, giving the Fighting Scots a chance to tie or take the lead.
 
After each team called a timeout with eight seconds to play, Mason's 3-point try in the closing seconds was no good, with Hoying grabbing the rebound to seal the win for the Lakers.
 
The Fighting Scots received major contributions from a pair of freshmen in Mason and Beck, as the two combined for 41 points and 11 rebounds. Mason led the Fighting Scots with a team-high 21 points, making 5 of 17 field goal attempts, including 2 of 7 shots from behind the arc to go along with a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line. The redshirt freshman also dished out a team-high three assists and tied a game-high with seven rebounds.
 
Beck set a career-high with 20 markers off the bench for Edinboro, connecting on 6 of 7 field goals and 5 of 6 3-point baskets. The Erie native knocked down 3 of 4 free throws and pulled down four boards.
 
Wade-Chatman tallied 10 points, while Casey Baker added eight points and seven rebounds for the Fighting Scots.
 
Williams paced all players with 23 points, sinking 9 of 14 field goals, including 4 of 8 shots from long range for the Lakers. Callon Dailey and Kayode Ajenifuja chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Edinboro connected on 40.0 percent (20 of50) of field goals in the contest, compared to Mercyhurst shooting 49.1 percent (26 of 53) from the field, including 60.9 percent (14 of 23) in the second half. The Fighting Scots were 17 of 21 from the charity stripe, good for 81.0 percent, while the Lakers made 7 of 12 (58.3 percent) of free throws in the game. Each team knocked down eight 3-pointers, with the Fighting Scots shooting 36.4 percent (8 of 22) from long range and Mercyhurst 40.0 percent (8 of 20).
 
Edinboro outrebounded the Lakers 34-28, as the Fighting Scots pulled down 10 offensive boards, leading to a 16-4 advantage over Mercyhurst in second-chance points.

 
The Lakers used a 7-0 run keyed by five points from Dailey to tie what would prove to be their largest lead of the afternoon at 9-2 with 16:18 to play in the opening period.
 
The Fighting Scots answered with an 8-1 run capped by a Baker old-fashioned 3-point play to cut the Mercyhurst lead to 11-10 with 13:48 remaining in the half.
 
After Edinboro claimed an 18-17 lead on a Mason 3-pointer with 8:21 left in the first half, the Lakers responded with a 9-3 run to gain a 26-21 advantage at the 5:08 mark of the opening frame. The Fighting Scots would close the period on an 8-2 run fueled by five points from Beck to give Edinboro a 29-28 lead at the break.
 
Saturday's contest saw15 lead changes and 11 ties. Edinboro held its largest lead of the game of three points on three occasions, the last coming at 53-50 at the 6:57 mark of the second half. The Lakers led by as many as seven markers on two occasions, the first coming at 9-2 with 16:18 left in the opening period, and again at 62-55 with 2:23 to play in the game.
 
The Fighting Scots now have ten days off before hosting PSAC Eastern Division foes Cheyney and Millersville on back-to-back nights on December 16 and 17, respectively. Both games are slated to begin at 7:30 at McComb Fieldhouse.