ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team will begin Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play this weekend when they square off with a pair of teams from the Eastern division as part of crossover weekend. First, on Saturday the Marauders of Millersville University come to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center, before the Lakers get a visit from Shepherd University on Sunday.
Game Information
Opponent - Millersville Marauders
Date - Saturday, November 23
Time - 1 pm
Series History - Ville leads 7-2 (Lakers won last meeting 60-49 on 11/20/16)
Live Video
Live Stats
Opponent - Shepherd Rams
Date - Sunday, November 24
Time - 1 pm
Series History - First ever meeting
Live Video
Live Stats
Last Time Out
The Lakers dropped a non-conference game to Walsh University by a score of 80-62 on Wednesday in North Canton, Ohio. Mercyhurst put three players in double-figures with
Amber Renz leading the way with 17, while
Lauren Lapertosa added 11 and
Emily Shopene put in 10.
Kori Sidwell was the team's leading rebounder with five, followed closely
Eliza Oswalt and Shopene with four. The Cavaliers won the game in the paint outscoring Mercyhurst 52-26.
Scouting the Lakers (0-4, 0-0 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst is averaging 65.5 points per game shooting 41.7% from the field, 26.2% beyond the arc, and 75.7% on the charity stripe which is good for 41st in the nation. The Lakers are handing out just under a dozen assists per contest, while hauling in 34.3 rebounds per game. They also average three blocks per contest.
Protect the Ball
Turnovers have been costly for Mercyhurst so far this season as they average 16.3 per game, which has resulted in their opposition holding a +7 margin in the points off turnovers category.
Ball Hogs
The Lakers as a team have totaled 26 steals on the season, averaging 6.5 per game. Shopene paces the team with seven and Lapertosa has five, followed by
Nicolete Newman with four.
Crash the Boards
Mercyhurst will look to regain their positive margin in the rebound category as they now have a -1 margin. Lapertosa is the team leader with 6.5 rpg, followed by 5.0 for Newman and 4.3 by Shopene.
Spread the Wealth
The trio of Renz (15.0), Newman (11.5), and Shopene (10.5) continue to lead the Mercyhurst attack accounting for roughly 37 points per game.
Block Party
Komendarek has six of the Lakers twelve blocks on the season averaging 1.5 bpg. Lapertosa has added two, while Shopene, Sidwell, Oswalt and Renz each have one.
When Will it Come?
First-year head coach
Brooklyn Kohlheim is still looking for win number one as captain of the Lakers ship.
Scouting the Marauders (1-2, 0-0 PSAC)
Millersville is coming off a win their last time out over Chestnut Hill College by a margin of 71-54. As a team they are averaging 75.7 ppg, shooting 44.6% from the field, 21.2% beyond the arc, and 64.1% at the line. Number one priority for the Lakers will be to slow down Lauren Lister as she ranks eighth in the nation dropping 25.3 points per game. Her partner Olivia Mottern averages 11.0 ppg and is also the team's leading rebounder at 5.7. The tandem of Courtney Dimoff and Ty Taylor combine for 15 points and eight boards on average. Head coach Mary Fleig is in her 30th season at the helm of the Marauders.
Scouting the Rams (5-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Shepherd enters the weekend having won five straight, but will have a chance to see that streak stopped prior to arriving in Erie as they play Edinboro on Saturday. The Rams are shooting at a 47.2% clip which is good for 26th in the country and rank 16th in three-point percentage with a 41.4% mark. They are also a 74.7% shooting team on the foul line. Turnovers have been a story in their games as well as they turn it over 15.8 times leading to 13.4 opposition points, while their opponents cough it up on average 20.2 times resulting in 22 Rams points. Shepherd's offense is led by a four-headed monster with Marley McLaughlin (18.0), Abby Beeman (17.8), Sydney Clayton (15.2), and Jordan Smith (10.0) are all averaging double-digits. Clayton is also the team's leading rebounder with 6.2 per game. Jenna Eckleberry is in her fifth year leading the Rams.
At The Dock
Next up for the Lakers will be one of their two remaining non-conference games when they host Ursuline College next Wednesday at 2pm.
