ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball travels to #13 Indiana (Pa.) for a showdown with first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division on the line. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.
 
Live stats will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/iup/mbball/index.htm. A live audio broadcast will be available at http://redzonemedia.com/viewschedule.asp?sportID=2&SchoolID=79. A live video broadcast will be available at http://www.nmtvsports.com/main.php?module=event-detail&eventId=23391.
 
Hurst enters Saturday's contest with a 15-6 overall record and a 13-4 PSAC mark. It walloped Clarion, 91-53, on February 8 at the MAC. Andrew Rickard scored 18 points and Luis Leao recorded 17 points, seven rebounds, and five blocked shots. The Lakers shot 54.3 percent from the field in the second half and connected on 16-17 free throw attempts in the game. They outrebounded Clarion, 44-32. The 38-point margin is the largest differential for a conference win since Mercyhurst joined the PSAC prior to the 2008-09 campaign.
 
IUP dropped its last outing, a 65-54 loss at California (Pa.) on February 8. The Crimson Hawks fell to 17-4 overall and 14-3 in the league. Senior Julian Sanders scored a team-high 23 points, draining five three-pointers. The defeat puts Indiana just one game ahead of Mercyhurst in the Western Division.
 
In the first meeting of the season, Hurst won, 71-47, at the MAC on January 21. Steven Coleman scored a career-high 25 points on 9-10 field goal shooting. The Lakers led by two at the half before winning, 48-26, in the second half. The hosts shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the second half. They also held IUP players other than Sanders and Ashton Smith to 5-24 shooting from the field.
 
Hurst is one of the top three-point shooting and ball handling teams in the region. It paces the conference in three-point percentage, connecting on 37.5 percent of its attempts. The Lakers have also made a league-high 164 treys this season. Coach Gary Manchel's squad ranks first in assists (17.4), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), and turnover margin (+4.29).
 
The Hawks pace the conference in scoring defense, allowing 60.7 points per game. Smith is fifth in the PSAC at 18.2 points a game, while Sanders is averaging 17.3 points, good for seventh in the conference. The two seniors rank in the top 13 in the league in three-point field goal percentage as well. Sanders has hit 65 on the year, most in the PSAC. 

For game notes, please click here.