Men's Basketball | 2/14/2018 1:01:00 PM
CALIFORNIA, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team will visit California (Pa.) for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference contest. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
The Lakers (12-10, 9-9) have won two straight games and have a 5-2 record in their last seven contests. Mercyhurst is one win from clinching a spot in the PSAC Tournament.
MU is coming off a 2-0 week in which it defeated Slippery Rock on Wednesday, 83-76, and then Seton Hill on Saturday, 77-66. The Vulcans (9-15, 5-13) lost to Gannon, 73-64, and Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 82-75. Cal has lost its last four games.
Mercyhurst and California met earlier this season at Mercyhurst as the host Lakers won, 67-47, on Jan. 20. Leading scorer
Lorenzo Collier scored all 20 of his points in the second half to lead the Lakers.
Also for MU,
Malcolm Walters added 15 points and
Derrick Ellis Jr. put in 10 for Mercyhurst.Leading rebounder
Patrick Smith added 13 rebounds while
Edvaldo Ferreira and
Dontae Williams grabbed seven boards each. Williams also had three blocks.
Isaiah Lewis led the Vulcans during their visit to MU with 17 points while Robel Teckle and Jahmere Howze grabbed 11 and eight rebounds, respectively.
In 2017-18, the Lakers have been led by Collier and Walters, who are averaging 16.0 and 14.0 points per game, respectively. Collier ranks ninth in the PSAC in 3-pointers per game (2.5). Walters also averages 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Smith has seven double-doubles in 2017-18 and averages 8.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. He ranks sixth in the PSAC in boards.
Ellis leads MU in assists with 3.4 per game while averaging 7.0 points and 1.8 steals. He is seventh in the PSAC in steals.
Cal's leading performer this season has been Howze, who averages 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds. Three other Vulcan scorers -- Lewis (16.5), Terry Davis Jr. (15.3) and Cordell Smith (12.2) -- also average in double-figures.
As a team, the Lakers lead the PSAC in defense, allowing only 64.6 points per game -- a figure that rates ninth in NCAA Division II. Mercyhurst is also third in the PSAC in defensive shooting percentage (.426), fourth in rebound margin (+5.4) and fourth in turnover margin (+1.3).
Mercyhurst currently sits in sixth place in the PSAC West division -- four games ahead of seventh-place California. The Lakers are 9-1 in their last 10 meetings with Cal; the only loss occurred at California last season.
