ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team hosts the Mercyhurst Invitational this weekend. The Lakers open the weekend with a 4 p.m. game against #20 Bowie State Saturday, December 17, and then close action with a 3 p.m. tilt against Washington Adventist the following day at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
 
Roberts Wesleyan and Washington Adventist will face each other at 6 p.m. Saturday and Bowie and Roberts Wesleyan play at 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
Live stats will be available for all four contests at http://www.sidearmstats.com/hurst/mbball/index.htm. Live video broadcasts for Mercyhurst's games will be available at http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=16.
 
Hurst sports a 6-2 mark after splitting two road games last weekend. The Lakers lost, 72-70, at Mansfield on December 9, when Chuck Harper hit a halfcourt shot at the horn. The next day, Coach Gary Manchel's squad responded with a 70-66 victory at Bloomsburg, snapping the Huskies' eight-game winning streak.
 
As a team, Mercyhurst leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in three-point field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to hit just 26.5 percent of treys. It is also second in assists (17.4) and steals (9.8) per game, while it leads the league in turnover margin (plus-3.25). Offensively, the Lakers are hitting eight triples per game, most in the conference.
 
Matt Lee leads the team with 17 points per game-tied for ninth in the PSAC. Andrew Rickard is next with 15.6 points, having hit a team-high 24 three-pointers (tied for most per game in the conference). Luis Leao is averaging 15 points and 5.5 rebounds in four games since his return from injury. Senior Bill Weaver is the other double-digit scorer at 11 points a contest. Jamal Turner is handing out 6.1 assists per (second in the league).
 
Bowie State is the 20^th-ranked team in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches' poll. The Bulldogs are 5-1 this season, as senior Darren Clark leads the team in scoring with 20.3 points per game. He also leads the team in assists (5.7-24^th in the nation) and steals (3.5-sixth in the country). 7-footer Travis Hyman is blocking 3.2 shots a game, good for seventh in the nation. BSU won 23 games last season, grabbing the second seed in the Atlantic Region, where it lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Washington Adventist has a 4-6 record this season. The Shock are led by Jamie Newton and Marcus Coleman. Newton is putting up over 21 points and 4.5 assists per contest, while Coleman is dropping 20.3 points and 10 boards a game. Hurst defeated WAU, 62-56, last season, improving to 10-0 in the all-time series.
 
Roberts Wesleyan is 4-8 in 2011-12. Mike Stone leads the team with 15.5 points a game and 28 made threes this season. Alif Bland is averaging 14 points and 8.1 rebounds.
 
This will be the Fourth Annual Mercyhurst Invitational. Washington Adventist, formerly known as Columbia Union, will appear for the fourth consecutive season. The Lakers are 6-0 in the three previous events.

For complete game notes, please click here.