Erie, Pa. – Jeff Planutis and Aidan Reichert combined for 52 points to lead Mercyhurst University to an 82-78 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team in Northeast Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Owen McCormick Court at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Sophomore guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) registered a career-high 32 points, including 26 in the second half (a total in and of itself that eclipsed his previous career high (24 last Saturday)), to lead the Dolphins, while adding five rebounds and three assists. His point total is tied for the second-highest in the NEC this season and is the highest by a Dolphin against an NEC foe on the road. He is the first Le Moyne sophomore to record at least 32 points since Philip Harlow scored a then-program record tying 41 points in a 97-75 win at Clarkson on February 18, 1971 and is just the third sophomore overall to tally at least 32 points (Richard Lynch had 39 at St. Peter's on February 21, 1958).

Redshirt sophomore forward Nate Fouts (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles/Kimball Union Academy) tied his career high with 17 points, including 10 in the second half, to go with nine rebounds and three assists. Graduate student guard Robby Carmody (Mars, Pa./Mars Area/Notre Dame/Mercer) posted 11 points (8 in the first half), five assists and three rebounds.

Planutis led the Lakers with a season-high 28 points, including 15 in the first half, and dished out a season-high six assists. Reichert equaled his career high with 24 points, including 13 in the first half, to go with five rebounds and two steals. Bernie Blunt III, whose father was the 1990 New York State Class B Player of the Year at nearby Jamesville-DeWitt High School and finished his scholastic career with 2507 points, was the third Laker in double digits with 12 points, while adding five assists and two steals.

The Lakers jumped out to a 13-5 lead through the opening 4:12 of the game. Reichert had seven points around a three-pointer from Blunt III and then Planutis nailed a three-pointer.

Le Moyne responded with 14 of the next 19 points to take its only lead of the game. Redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma () had a dunk out of a timeout, Carmody and Fouts buried three-pointers, redshirt freshman guard Deng Garang (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) made a lay-up and then Dancler made a pair of shots for a 19-18 advantage with 10:16 left in the half.

Mercyhurst regained control of the game and took its first 11-point lead with a 19-7 jaunt over 7:21. Planutis tallied seven points in the stretch, Reichert had six and Blunt III and Max Jusianiec each nailed three-pointers.

Dancler hit a jumper with 36 seconds left to get the Dolphins within 37-28 at the intermission.

After the teams split the first 24 points of the second half over the initial five and one-half minutes, during which time Mercyhurst's lead bounced between seven and 11 points, Planutis made a three-pointer and a lay-up to give the Lakers a 14-point lead for the first time with 13:24 left.

The Dolphins countered with 12 of the next 16 points to trim their deficit to six with 9:48 remaining. Fouts made two free throws, fifth-year guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) drained a three-pointer and then Dancler drilled a pair of three-pointers around two Blunt III free throws, while also adding a free throw to make it 58-52 with 9:48 left.

Jusianiec and Jake Lemelman connected on back-to-back three-pointers to push Mercyhurst's lead back to 12 just 33 seconds later.

After the teams traded points over the next two minutes, which resulted in a 68-57 Mercyhurst lead, the Dolphins rattled off 17 of the next 23 points to even the score at 74 with 1:17 remaining. Dancler started the run with a conventional three-point play, Fouts answered a Planutis lay-up with a three-pointer and then Koroma and Dancler made lay-ups to get the Dolphins with 72-67 at the final media timeout. After Jones Jr. made one free throw and Shemar Rathan-Mayes countered with two for the Lakers, Carmody and Jones Jr. connected on back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 51 seconds to tie the score.

Reichert gave the lead back to the Lakers with two free throws with 55 seconds left. After a missed three-pointer by the Dolphins, Planutis drew a foul and connected on two foul shots with 31 seconds left.

Dancler drew a foul six seconds later and made both foul shots to get the Dolphins within two with 25 seconds to go. The Dolphins were unable to get whistled for a foul and Planutis capitalized and made an open lay-up with 14 seconds left to push his team's lead back to four.

After the Dolphins were called for an offensive foul with 12 seconds left, Blunt III knocked down two free throws with seven seconds to play to seal the game. Dancler finished the game's scoring with a lay-up with two seconds to go.

Le Moyne (7-18, 2-8 NEC), which has dropped five straight games for the first time since February 2016, is back home for the first time in 20 days on Thursday against Wagner College at 7:00 p.m.