ERIE, Pa. – The Golden Eagle men's basketball team held tough early on with one of the best teams in the nation, but Clarion (6-5, 2-4 PSAC) ultimately could not keep pace with seventh-ranked Mercyhurst in falling 101-66 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Monday afternoon.
 
It looked early on like the Golden Eagles might be able to go toe-to-toe with the nation's seventh-ranked team, trading buckets with the Lakers early and keeping it within a single possession with 7:05 remaining in the first half. That was when Mercyhurst began to pull away, though, closing out the period with a 23-7 run to open up a big lead at the break. Clarion was unable to threaten from that point on as the Lakers extended the lead.
 
Gerald Jarmon scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, while Connor Ferrell contributed 16 points and team-highs in rebounds (6) and assists (5). Lawrence Lemon scored 12 points and pulled down five boards.
 
The Lakers opened the game on a 7-2 run, but Clarion quickly closed the gap and made a game of it. Ferrell kicked out to a wide-open Mekhi Reynolds for a three-pointer from the left corner that made it 11-9, and Lemon tied the scored on the next possession when he pulled down a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup at the 15:36 mark. Ferrell again tied the score at the 14:46 mark, making a midrange jumper, and the senior eventually gave Clarion a brief lead on a four-point play. He made a trey through contact from Pipeloluwa Ajayi, and then finished off the play with a free throw at 13:06.
 
Mercyhurst went ahead 22-20 on a make by Aidan Reichert but Jarmon responded with a fast break jumper to even it up at the 10:02 mark. Steve Kelly kept the Lakers from running away with things with a trey at the 7:05 mark, making it 31-29, but Clarion got no closer the rest of the way as the Lakers went to work. The lead reached 11 points on a transition bucket from Steve Cannady that made it 42-31, and the Lakers entered the halftime break with a 54-36 advantage. They built on that lead the rest of the way, eventually winning by 35 points.