The Misericordia University men's basketball team picked up their first MAC Freedom win of the season over Lebanon Valley, 66-56, Wednesday night. 
 
RJ Weise and Jack Gallagher led the way offensively with 17 points and five assists each. Weise shot 4-6 from behind the arc and brought down six rebounds. Gallagher shot 7-8 from the field.
 
Kevin Lazdowsky and Arvel Chandler were dominant on the glass for MU, bringing down 10 rebounds apiece. Lazdowsky also recorded 12 points and a team-high three steals.
 
The Cougars quickly set the tone offensively behind three baskets in the paint from Gallagher, layups by Lazdowsky and Matt Prociak along with a three-pointer courtesy of Weise. Just over six minutes into the first half, Misericordia had jumped out to a 13-4 lead.
 
The deep shots continued to fall for MU, as Lazdowsky, Patrick Brown and Weise all drained three balls to put the Cougars in command of a 28-17 lead with 6:36 to go in the first frame. 
 
The Dutchmen continued to battle their way back late in the first half and hit a last-second layup to cut their deficit to six. Misericordia took a 32-26 into halftime.
 
Chandler collected his first points of the evening with a layup in the paint to kick off MU's scoring early in the second half. He nailed a shot from behind the arc minutes later, giving the Cougars a nine-point lead.
 
The offenses of Misericordia and Lebanon Valley quieted down at the midway point of the second half, as neither team recorded a point for almost three and a half minutes of game time. Prociak broke the Cougars' scoring drought when he received a bounce pass from Lazdowsky and drove to the basket, finishing the play with a layup.
 
With 4:48 remaining on the clock, Weise cashed in on his fourth triple of the game to give MU a comfortable 59-45 lead. The 14-point margin proved to be the largest of the game for the Cougars. 
 
The Dutchmen continued to hang around down the stretch, driving to the paint and finishing on their shots. Gallagher maintained Misericordia's advantage with a pair of buckets in the paint as time dwindled, allowing MU to take the game by a score of 66-56. 
 
The Cougars look to even their MAC Freedom record at 2-2 when they return home to host FDU-Florham, Saturday afternoon at 3:00.