ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team looks to earn non-conference win number one and continue their strong play as of late when they visit the Chargers of Hillsdale College on Monday afternoon in Michigan. The Lakers have been in a good run of form as of late winning three of their last four.
Game Information
Opponent - Hillsdale Chargers
Date - Monday, December 16
Time - 1 pm
Series History - Hillsdale leads 21-6 (Lakers won last meeting at Ashland University Tournament 77-65 on 11/26/16)
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Last Time Out
After a 15-15 tie through the first quarter the Lakers used baskets by
Lauren Lapertosa and
Nicolete Newman to put together an 8-2 run to hold a slim 29-27 edge at the break. With West Chester leading 33-31 an
Amber Renz layup resulted in a 13-3 push to close the third led by five for
Emily Shopene and four each from
Eliza Oswalt and Renz to be ahead 44--36 after 30-minutes. The Lakers opened the lead up to nine early in the final frame, and would let the Golden Rams get as close as 54-53, but foul shots by Lapertosa along with Renz helped to seal up the 57-55 victory. Renz paced Mercyhurst with 20, followed by 11 each for Shopene and Lapertosa. Lapertosa had a team-high six boards, with
Kori Sidwell and Newman both ripping down five.
Scouting the Lakers (3-5, 3-0 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst is averaging 67.8 points per game shooting 44.0% from the field, 27.9% beyond the arc, and 67.1% on the charity stripe. The Lakers hand out just shy of 15 assists per game, while hauling in 36.1 rebounds per game. They also average 2.8 blocks per contest.
NCAA Leaders
Lapertosa ranks 24th in assist-turnover ratio at 2.50 which is good for third in the PSAC. Renz ranks 21st in the nation and second within the conference in field goal percentage at 60.5%. Just inside the Top-50 is Shopene with 35.19 minutes played per game which puts her at 49th nationally.
Protect the Ball
Turnovers have been a problem for the Lakers so far, but they have brought their average down from 19 at the beginning of the season to 16.1 per contest. However, while the average has dropped they have still committed more turnovers than their opponents in six of their eight games so far. Mercyhurst holds a -3.1 turnover margin and allow 17.5 ppg off of their turnovers, while converting their opponents 13 mistakes into 14.1 ppg.
Ball Hogs
The Lakers as a team have totaled 53 steals on the season, averaging 6.6 per game. Shopene and Lapertosa both have a dozen, followed by Newman with eight. Oswalt has six and
Vivian Allison and Sidwell along with Renz each have four.
Crash the Boards
Mercyhurst continues to hold a slim edge in the rebound margin at a +1.8 (36.1 to 34.3). Lapertosa is the team leader with 6.4 rpg, followed by 4.4 for Newman and Shopene with 3.8. Allison, Renz, Sidwell and Oswalt all average over three boards per game as well.
Scoring Trio
The trio of Renz (14.4), Newman (10.4), and Shopene (10.0) lead the attack for the Lakers with each one averaging double-figures. Oswalt and Lapertosa contribute as well by putting up over eight points per contest.
Block Party
Komendarek has nine of the Lakers 22 blocks who average 2.8 bpg as a team. Renz has three and Lapertosa along with Shopene and Sidwell have each recorded two.
Scouting the Chargers (3-7 overall, 1-2 Great Midwest)
Hillsdale enters Monday's contest coming off a 91-72 conference win over Findlay on Saturday afternoon which stopped a five-game winless stretch. The Chargers average 36.6% from the floor and 31.2% outside the arc to go along with 81.3% at the foul line amounting to an average of 65.0 ppg. They allow their opponents to put up 80 points shooting 38.9% from the field. On the glass the Chargers hold a +4 margin out-rebounding the opposition 41-37. Lauren Daffenberg and Sydney Anderson each average double-digit points with 15.4 and 10.2 respectively. Grace Touchette, Jaycie Burger, and Courtney Krol all chip in over eight points per contest. Julia Wacker is their leading go-getter on the glass bringing down seven per game. Matt Fritsche is in his third year as the leader of the Chargers.
Still Road Warriors
Mercyhurst will play their final two games before break on the road as they return to PSAC play next weekend for another East-West Crossover at Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg on Friday and Saturday.
