ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team opens the 2013-14 regular season with a pair of games at the Wolf's Bus Lines Classic, hosted by Shippensburg University. The Lakers face Shepherd on Friday, November 15, at 3 p.m. and then square off with Alderson-Broaddus on Saturday, November 16, at 3 p.m.
 
Live stats for both games will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/ship/mbball/.
 
Gary Manchel begins his 11^th season as the Lakers' head coach. He guided Mercyhurst to a fourth straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament appearance last season. The Lakers won 16 games as Luis Leao established himself as one of the top players in program history. The senior was named an NABC All-American and the PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year, becoming the first player in school history to earn either honor.
 
In 2013-14, Mercyhurst will have to replace Leao. Manchel has brought in six newcomers to help overcome the loss. Jonathan Ouegnin leads the returners after a solid junior campaign that saw him average eight points, four assists, four rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot per game in the regular season. Callon Dailey is the team's leading returning scorer with 8.5 points per game a year ago.
 
Shepherd sports a 1-1 record early in the season, having beaten California (Pa.) before losing to Slippery Rock last weekend. Against Cal, Brantley Osborne put up 19 points and six assists, while Morgan McDonald added 10 points and 11 boards. Osborne scored 21 points and grabbed six steals against The Rock.
 
Alderson-Broaddus lost, 74-65, to Glenville State to open the season last weekend. Adam Kline led with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Malcolm Tatum and Thylas Perkins chipped in with 12 points apiece.
 
Mercyhurst was chosen to finish sixth in the PSAC Western Division preseason coaches poll. Shepherd tied for fourth in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) preseason rankings, while A-B was voted third in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) poll.

The Wolf's Bus Lines Classic features eight games at the Heiges Field House this weekend, with four women's and four men's contests played on Friday and Saturday.

For game notes, please click here.