 |
 Jacob Black had 11 points and five rebounds. |
Feb. 9, 2006
DETROIT - Wayne State senior Herb Goliday's (Royal Oak Twp., Mich.) layup with 6.4 seconds left put the Warriors up by one, but Mercyhurst's Avi Fogel made two free throws with 2.4 ticks to play as the Lakers escaped with a 62-61 win over WSU Thursday night at the Matthaei. MC (18-5, 8-5 GLIAC) sweeps the season series against Wayne State (9-12, 4-9 GLIAC) for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign.
Wayne State's defense forced three turnovers and had a block on the Lakers' first four possessions, while on the offensive end jumpers by Will Pierce (Detroit, Mich.) and Goliday gave the Warriors 4-3 lead.
After MC went up by one, junior Kris Krzyminski (Flint, Mich.) hit a deep three and Erik Parker (Oak Park, Mich.) got the friendly roll for an 11-7 lead. The Lakers regained the lead as they went on a 13-2 run, forcing WSU to call a timeout with an even 10:00 remaining in the half.
The Warriors came out of the huddle and scored seven points in a row to tie the game at 20 thanks to two Ethan Banks (Warren, Ohio) steals and a cutting layup by Krzyminski. Goliday's short jumper with 2:47 left before the half gave the Warriors a 24-22 advantage. MC then turned the ball over twice in a row, both times Krzyminski made the Lakers pay with baskets that increased WSU's lead to six points.
After that timeout half-way through the first, the Warrior defense held Mercyhurst to just one field goal and two free throws as Jacob Black (Detroit, Mich.) ended the half with four straight points to put WSU up 32-24.
The Warriors didn't score for the first 2:20 after halftime as MC hit a three to open the second. WSU then went on a seven-point run to up its lead to 39-27 with 15:51 to play. After five Mercyhurst points in a row, Black skied above the rim for a dunk on an offensive rebound. In all, the Lakers went on a 14-2 run and tied the game at 41 with 10:53 left until Pierce scored on an inbound play under the basket.
WSU went ahead by making three free throws and holding Mercyhurst scoreless 2:37. The teams exchanged leads over the next couple minutes, and 21 times throughout the game, until Black's three-pointer beat the shot clock and put Wayne State up 54-52. After Jeff Daisley's fifth foul, Krzyminski hit a triple right in front of the Warrior bench.
The Lakers then got back within one with 1:20 to play. Fogel then hit a jumper in the paint for a one-point Mercyhurst lead 58 seconds later, setting up Goliday's layup and the final scenario.
Krzyminski tied his career-high with 22 points, while Goliday finished with 13 points as both played all 40 minutes of the game. Black added 11 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists.
Wayne State hosts Gannon in a must-win game on Saturday at 3 p.m. At halftime, the athletic department will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1955-56 WSU team that advanced to the Division I Sweet Sixteen.
