EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette men's basketball used four scorers in double figures to take down Mercyhurst, 79-71, on Friday evening at Kirby Sports Center.

Lafayette's Christian Humphrey-Rembert had a career evening, registering 20 points on 6-of-7 from 3-point range and 7-of-from the floor. Caleb Williams also recorded a career-best 24 points, shooting a game-high 6-for-6 at the charity stripe.

Overall, the Maroon and White netted 50 percent from the floor, 61 percent from long distance and 15-of-16 free throws. Humphrey-Rembert, Andrew Phillips and Shareef Jackson each grabbed eight rebounds while Mark Butler dished a team-high seven assists.

The Leopards opened the first half with a 21-15 spurt by the 10-minute mark, using 5-of-8 performance beyond the arc.

Mercyhurst overtook the advantage, 30-21, with a 15-0 run to 4:02. The opponent's Deshaun Jackson and Mykolaus Ivanauskas had a team-high six points apiece in that time.

Jackson halted the dry spell with a layup (3:16), which was followed by a 3-pointer from Humphrey-Rembert at 2:49 for a 32-28 deficit.

Humphrey-Rembert turned heroic to knock down two more shots from long range for a 34-34 tie at the halftime break.

In the second period, Lafayette nailed 5-of-9 shots from the floor to get to the under-14 media timeout and hold a four-point margin, 50-46 (13:56).

The Leopards pulled away in a 14-8 stretch over the following five minutes to lead 64-56 at 8:17. The squad did not miss an attempt from the floor (4-4), beyond the arc (2-2) or at the line (4-4) during the offensive advance.

Mercyhurst retaliated via a 13-7 run to the two-minute mark with the Maroon and White in reach, 73-69.

The Lakers' Bernie Blunt was awarded two free throws (1:20) to close the gap to two, 73-71.

A defensive stop, paired with another Williams' 3-pointer with 50 seconds on the clock, secured a 79-71 victory.

In total, Blunt led the Lakers with 17 points, three rebounds and a block. Mercyhurst took a 14-9 margin on the offensive glass and kept to six turnovers, opposed to Lafayette's 15. 
 
The Leopards travel to Penn on Monday for a 6 p.m. tip-off.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.