ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team hosts California (Pa.) Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Tip-off for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
Live stats will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/hurst/mbball/scoreboard.aspx. A live America ONE broadcast will be available at http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=16.
 
The programs are tied for fifth place in the Western Division. The top six teams in each division qualify for the PSAC Tournament at the end of the regular season. IUP has clinched a playoff spot and leads the West at 12-2. Slippery Rock is in second at 11-3 and Gannon is 10-4. Edinboro sits in fourth with an 8-6 mark. Cal and Mercyhurst are even at 7-7, while Clarion and Lock Haven are tied for seventh at 3-11 in the conference.
 
The Lakers have lost four straight, including a 65-59 loss to Edinboro Wednesday. Mercyhurst held the Fighting Scots to 4-27 shooting on two-point tries, but Edinboro hit 13 three-pointers on its way to a comeback victory. Luis Leao recorded 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots, and two steals in the defeat.
 
Cal has won two in a row, with a 79-74 win over Clarion Wednesday in its last outing. Keith Lowe led with 26 points and nine boards, while Quentin Harding had 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
 
Mercyhurst is 11-9 overall and 7-7 in the PSAC. Leao is averaging 20.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while shooting over 52 percent from the floor. Paul Bilbo, Jonathan Ouegnin, and Callon Dailey are each scoring just over eight points per contest.
 
The Vulcans have an 8-10 overall mark and are 7-7 in the league. Lowe paces the team with 17.8 points per game, while Tynell Fortune is putting up 11.1 points per. Harding and Mitchell Weedon are combining for 19 points a game.
 
Mercyhurst is 15^th in the PSAC in scoring, while Cal ranks fifth. The Lakers allow just 61.6 points per game, which is the fourth-fewest in the conference. The Vulcans give up 72.1 points, good for 10^th in the standings.
 
Cal leads the PSAC in three-point shooting at 37 percent. Mercyhurst ranks seventh in league, hitting 33.6 percent of its attempts from long range. Both teams excel in ball handling, as Cal ranks second with a 0.99 assist-to-turnover ratio and Mercyhurst is fourth with a 0.94 mark.
 
For game notes, please click here.