ERIE, Pa—The Mercyhurst men's basketball team will travel to California (Pa.) on Saturday looking to extend its streak to five, which would be its longest win streak of the year.

Who: Mercyhurst (12-4, 7-4) at California (Pa.) (6-11, 4-7)
When: Saturday, January 26th, 2019 (3:00 PM)
Where: California, Pa
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Previous Game

• Jason Massey scored 15 points and earned the Game Changer Award as the Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated cross-town rival Gannon, 51-35, in a Porreco Pride of Erie matchup at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Wednesday. The game, which was sponsored by Bianchi Honda, was also a PSAC contest.  Edvaldo Ferreira added 10 points and Patrick Smith hauled down 12 rebounds for the Lakers.
• Mercyhurst led for much of the contest, charging out to a 22-7 lead in the first half before taking a 24-15 advantage into intermission. The Lakers held the visiting Golden Knights to 19.2-percent shooting in the first half, including 1 of 8 from three-point land.  The Knights closed their deficit to 24-19, but that was as close as they came in the second half. The Lakers' largest lead was forged in the final score as they closed the game on a 7-0 run.

Keys for Mercyhurst

• The Lakers have momentum going into California on Saturday after a win against cross-town rival Gannon for the Porreco cup which also allowed them to tie their season's win streak at four.
• MU has three Lakers scoring in double-digits including leading scorer Massey averaging 16.8 a game and is ranked second in the conference in field goal percentage (.562)
• Nelson Maxwell is the second leading scorer with 11.4 a game and behind him is MiyKah McIntosh with 10 per game.
• Ferreira and Smith are also a top of the conference in different categories. Ferreira is ranked sixth in the PSAC in blocks averaging 1.3 per game while Smith is seventh in rebounds averaging 8.5.
• As a team, Mercyhurst has the number one defense in the conference and number two nationally only giving up 60.4 points per game. MU only gave up 35 points to Gannon making that its season low of points allowed.
• The Lakers are also number one in the conference in three point field goal percentage (.404) averaging 9.1 per game placing them 23rd in the country and also ranked number one in scoring margin (15.3). MU also is ranked fifth in the PSAC with a field goal percentage of .470.

 
Keys for California

• The Vulcans are coming into the game against MU on a three game skid losing to Pitt-Johnstown to start the losing streak on the road 95-72 (Jan. 16), then at home to Seton Hill 72-70 (Jan. 21) and finally on the road against #4 IUP 81-56 (Jan. 23)
• California is number eight in the conference in field goal percentage (.444).
• A key player to watch tomorrow for Cal is Brent Pegram who averages 18.4 for the Vulcans placing him tenth in the PSAC. He also is sixth in three point field goal percentage (.398) and seventh in assists (4.3).
• Other notable Vulcans to watch for are two other players scoring in double-digits; Zyan Collins (14.6) and Collin MacAdams (14.5). Jermaine Hall Jr. leads the team in rebounds averaging 8.1 per game, respectively.

 
Against California

• The Lakers lead the all-time series against California 20-7 with an away record of 7-5. Last season both teams took a game on their home court with MU winning the first of two 67-47 (Jan. 20) and CAL taking the second game 73-71 (Feb. 14).

Next Up: The Lakers will be on the road again as they will travel to Edinboro to take on the Fighting Scots on January 30th.