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Written by Braydin Adams
Nittany Lions Overcome Sluggish Start to Hold Off Mercyhurst
On Thursday, November 12th, the Penn State Nittany Lions hosted the Mercyhurst Lakers for another nonconference game at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions looked to bounce back after a heartbreaking 82-76 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers on Sunday.
The game also marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Mercyhurst entered with a 1-2 record after picking up its first win of the season against Penn State Shenango.
The game started with both teams sticking close and playing good defense, but six points from Ivan Juric gave the Nittany Lions a 12-9 lead with 10:38 remaining in the first half.
The two teams continued going back and forth, and Penn State found itself up just 33-29 at halftime, with Juric leading the way with nine points. The Nittany Lions did not have the offensive first half they needed against a Mercyhurst team that entered the game with just one win. This may have been the Nittany Lions’ worst half of the season so far.
The start of the second half proved to be no different. Through the first five minutes of the half, the Lions found themselves up just 41-39 with 14:42 remaining in the game. At this point, Jake Lemelman was leading the way for the Lakers with 13 points, looking to help his team get the win in Happy Valley.
Then, Penn State started to put its foot on the gas. Brant Byers caught fire, and the Nittany Lions built a 53-43 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
The Nittany Lions continued to use offensive contributions from multiple guys to build a 58-45 lead with six minutes remaining. This time, it was Roko Prkacin contributing after Brant Byers had helped spark the offense earlier.
Mercyhurst would not go away quietly, though, as the Lakers cut the lead to ten with under two minutes left, making the score 67-57. Their biggest issue was time not being on their side.
The Lakers gave the Nittany Lions all they could handle, but Ivan Juric, Brant Byers, and Roko Prkacin proved to be too much as Penn State avoided the upset and secured a 72-57 victory.
Penn State 72, Mercyhurst 57
Leading Scorers
Penn State: Ivan Juric (20), Brant Byers (14), Roko Prkacin (14), Josh Reed (7), Francois Wibaut (7)
Mercyhurst: Jake Lemelman (20), Cameron Johnson (12), Hunter Te Ratana (10), Geoff Sprouse (5)
Looking Ahead
Penn State improves to 3-1 this season and will return to action on Sunday, November 15th, when the Nittany Lions host New Haven at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast on Peacock and NBCSN.
Mercyhurst fought hard but just could not get the job done. The Lakers fall to 1-3 and will look to bounce back on Sunday when they take on James Madison on the road.
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