Late Shouse Trey Sends Lakers Past Eagles
February 12, 2004

Mercyhurst senior guard Justin Shouse is due to graduate this spring. It would be no surprise if Ashland University head coach Roger Lyons was on hand to give him his diploma.

Shouse buried a three-point field goal from the left wing with seven seconds left in regulation Thursday (Feb. 12) at Kates Gymnasium as Mercyhurst (16-7/10-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) held off Ashland (10-13/3-10), 60-59. Throughout his career, the MC guard has tormented the Eagles with his outside shooting and playmaking ability. Thursday’s game figures to be the last time he will square off against the Eagles as this is the last meeting of the season between the clubs.

Mercyhurst is tied for first in the GLIAC South Division and is ranked fifth in the NCAA Great Lakes Region. When the teams met in Erie, PA, back on Dec. 11, the Lakers hung a 27-point loss on the Eagles.

Shouse had 17 points, all in the second half. Eight of those points came in the final 5:32. Thursday’s game marked the third time this season that Shouse sent the ‘Hurst to a win in the game’s final seconds.

Mercyhurst senior forward Josh Helm had 23 points to lead all players in the game. Helm made 11 of 16 shots from the field and gathered six rebounds. Michael Marshall pulled down nine rebounds for the ‘Hurst.

AU was paced by freshman point guard Alex Jones, who had 17 points. Junior forward Mark Church had 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The game was a defensive struggle for the full 40 minutes. With 10:08 left in the first half, Ashland was in front, 12-11. All told, the lead changed hands nine times and the teams were tied on six occasions. Ashland led at halftime, 35-31.

The teams played to a near draw on the stats sheet. MC won the battle on the glass, 30-29. Both teams shot 12 of 16 (75 percent) at the free throw line. Mercyhurst had 15 turnovers and AU had 13 giveaways. Mercyhurst shot 47.7 percent (21-44) from the floor and Ashland finished at 41.2 percent (21-51). Mercyhurst has been among the GLIAC’s top defensive teams all season. In the first meeting of the season, MC held the Eagles to a season-low 49 points.