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Edinboro University Athletics

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Scoreboard

Jaymon Mason vs. IUP
Matt Durisko
71
Edinboro EDIN-M 7-17, 5-15
81
Winner Mercyhurst MER-M 12-12, 10-10
Edinboro EDIN-M
7-17, 5-15
71
Final
81
Mercyhurst MER-M
12-12, 10-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Edinboro EDIN-M 34 37 71
Mercyhurst MER-M 36 45 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Dan Graham, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Second-Half Deficit Too Much to Overcome in 81-71 Defeat at Mercyhurst

ERIE, Pa. (February 18, 2017) – The Edinboro University men's basketball team looked to keep its PSAC Tournament hopes alive Saturday when they headed up I-79 to face Mercyhurst. Despite playing the Lakers to an evenly-matched first half, the Fighting Scots fell behind early in the second half, which proved too much to overcome as they fell to Mercyhurst by an 81-71 score. Edinboro dropped to 7-19 and 5-15 in the PSAC West, while the Hurst improved to 12-12 and 10-10, respectively.
 
The loss mathematically eliminated Edinboro from the league tournament picture, but don't think that was because of a lack of talent. The Fighting Scots have battled a great deal of adversity this year and remained in the playoff hunt despite injuries and illnesses causing them to play with as few as seven players. A testament to Edinboro's resiliency shined on Wednesday, as they battled from 18 points down in the second half to upset Gannon, 78-77, and stay in the playoff picture.
 
While senior guard/forward Mikael Anderson returned to the lineup last week to bring Pat Cleary's roster back up to eight healthy players, Edinboro was without redshirt senior guard Chibunna Ukandu for the second straight game due to illness. Saturday's contest marked the sixth time in the last seven games only seven Fighting Scots suited up.
 
Redshirt senior guard Sheldon Brogdon led Edinboro with 17 points, while redshirt junior forward Jon Girvin led both sides with a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior guard/forward Maceo Baston, who has started the last seven games, had 16 points, marking the fifth time he has scored in double digits since entering the starting lineup. Redshirt junior guard Jaymon Mason finished with 14 points, passing his season scoring mark from last year for 11th all-time at Edinboro with 551 season points. Junior guard/forward Mike Beck had 10 markers, going a perfect 2-for-2 on 3-pointers.
 
Edinboro and Mercyhurst contested closely in the first half, with the Lakers holding a slim 36-34 lead at halftime. Neither side held more than a five-point lead during the first 20 minutes. The Fighting Scots led for nearly 12 minutes combined in the opening period, holding as much as a five-point lead on two occasions. The latter gave the Boro a 26-21 advantage after an Andre Frederick free throw with 8:10 to play before the half. A Jaymon Mason 3-pointer gave Edinboro a 31-27 lead with 4:17 to play in the half, but Mercyhurst responded with a 9-0 run to lead, 36-31, with 35 seconds left in the first half. Mason then connected on a classic 3-point play for the final points of the half.
 
The Lakers opened the second half with a 12-1 run, starting with two quick 3-pointers from Malcolm Walters and Lorzenzo Collier, that saw them up, 48-35, with 17:45 to play. The Lakers by as much as 17 points in the second half, including a 69-52 lead with 8:51 to play. Edinboro fought back, responding with an 8-0 run to tighten Mercyhurst's lead to nine points at 69-60 with 6:20 to go. It would be as close as they would come, however, as the Lakers used a 7-2 run to bring their lead back up to double digits, 76-62, with 3:10 to go.
 
A pair of Maceo Baston free throws cut Mercyhurst's lead back down to nine, 77-68, with 1:04 to play. The Fighting Scots then sent Durrell McDonald to the line, where he made both his free throws. A 3-point attempt by Mason on the ensuing possession missed its mark, which was rebounded by the Lakers and caused Edinboro to foul Roland, who then made both his free throws for an 81-68 lead with 46 seconds left. A Mike Beck 3-pointer before the final horn made up the last points of the game.
 
The Lakers led, 16-10, in points off turnovers, including forcing the Fighting Scots into 10 second-half turnovers for 14 points. Edinboro committed 15 turnovers overall, while forcing Mercyhurst into 13 turnovers for the game. The Fighting Scots were held to just 22 shooting attempts in the second half, making 10 of them, while the Lakers shot 14-for-35 in the closing half. Mercyhurst also held an edge in points in the paint, 38-24, and outrebounded Edinboro, 44-35.
 
The Fighting Scots shot 39.7 percent for the game (23-for-58), making 5-for-15 from 3-point range and 20-for-26 from the free throw line. The Lakers made 43.3 percent from the field (29-for-67), shooting 8-for-21 from behind the arc and 15-for-21 from the charity stripe.
 
Lorenzo Collier scored a game-high 24 points for Mercyhurst and collected nine boards. Durrell McDonald had 18 points, while John Majors finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
 
The Fighting Scots wrap up their season with a two-game homestand, starting with Slippery Rock on Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m., then senior day against Clarion on Saturday, February 25 at 3:00 p.m.
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