Erie, Pa. – The Roberts Wesleyan men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Monday night defeating Mercyhurst University 74-69.
 
Sophomore Zack Panebianco led the scoring effort with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The guard from Jamestown, N.Y. continues to put up good numbers. He netted a career-high 27 points against Slippery Rock on Sunday and is averaging 13.2 points per game.
 
The Redhawks overcame a 14 point deficit in the second half when Mercyhurst took a 54-40 lead at the 12:12 mark of the second half. That lead didn't hold long as Roberts Wesleyan went on a 14-2 run to close within two points of the lead. During that stretch sophomore Dwayne Roberts hit two three pointers and had two made free throws. The 6-3 guard/forward finished with 11 points off the bench on 3-for-3 shooting from long range.
 
Roberts Wesleyan finally took the lead with 2:39 left on the clock when Roberts got a steal and hit his third three of the night to take a 65-64 advantage.
 
The Redhawks closed the game down the stretch by going 9-for-10 from the free throw line to seal the victory. After struggling most of the season from the charity stripe shooting just 60-percent as a team the Redhawks went 22-of-26 (84.6%) in the game.
 
Roberts Wesleyan (1-10) looks to stay in the win column in when they take on Adelphi University on January 2 at 2 p.m. in the Voller Athletic Center.