The Mercyhurst men’s basketball team has dominated by winning seven of their last eight games this season. Their latest victory was against Seton Hill as the Lakers defended their home court with an end score of 82-71. In this eventful feat the Lakers lead by as much as 21 at a point. Their record improved to 15-3 in the season and 11-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play which clutches their tie for second place in the conference. Second place in the PSAC is a big deal, as this will give Mercyhurst the opportunity to improve their record in upcoming games to move up to first place. It is an exciting time to be a men’s basketball player at Mercyhurst. The Lakers came into the game with high energy as they fought for offensive and defensive rebounds. Their efforts gave them many opportunities to find openings for shooting and they sure did take advantage. In the first quarter alone, the Lakers made seven of their first nine shots to put them ahead by double-digits against Seton Hill. With an assist from guard Nicholas Lang, MiyKah Mclntosh drained a three pointer to make the score 17-6 just four minutes into the game. The energy on the court electrified the Lakers as they pushed on to finish out the first half with a 42-29 lead. Coming out of half-time Mercyhurst sought to continue their momentum through to the end of the game. They increased their lead by playing solid defense which con-verted to their offensive opportunities. Pipeloluwa Ajayi, a sophomore forward stole the ball and on a fast break saw teammate Jeff Planutis who was set up nicely for a quick dunk to extend the Lakers lead to 57-36. The Seton Hill Griffins at-tempted to fight back but the Lakers were too much to handle. The game ended with the Lakers on top as Mclntosh scored a season-high 23 points accompanying five rebounds and two steals. His teammates were inspired as Ajayi, Reichert, Bradley, and Planutis locked in double-digits to close out the game. Planutis put on his own show as one of the leading scorers by notching 19 points. From Greensburg, Pennsylvania, the Seton Hill Griffin’s had a two and a half hour drive back home to reflect on their loss. Since this was a home game, the Lakers had the environment to keep their foot on the pedal, with support from the student section, as well as the band that played during time outs and be-tween quarter breaks. Hopefully the Lakers will be able to keep up this hot streak throughout their season. With few losses so far this season, there is a good chance they will make it deep in the PSAC tournament. They are set to rematch Seton Hill on Wednesday, Feb. 22, this time taking place in Greensburg, PA. This team of ballers are ho(o)ping for a repeat victory against Seton Hill in a few weeks, to stay on fire.