ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball team is looking to build on their good run of form recently where they have won two straight and three of their last four when they continue Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division play when they visit the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown on Wednesday night at the Sports Center.

Opponent - Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats
Date - Wednesday, January 15
Time - 7:30 pm
Location - Johnstown, Pa. (Sports Center)
Series History - Pitt-Johnstown leads 24-23, (Mountain Cats won 71-58 on 2/27/19 in Johnstown)
Lakers Notes
Live Stats
Live Video

Last Time Out
Mercyhurst trailed early 13-9, but used runs of 9-1 and 8-5 to hold a 43-28 advantage at halftime and continued their dominance into the second half with runs of 6-1 along with 7-0 to cruise to the 86-64 victory on Saturday at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.  The Lakers shot a season-high 59.6% from the floor and got a combined 58 points out of the trio of Cameron Gross, Michael Bradley, and Zach McIntire.  Andrew Seager finished with 9, while Steve Cannady chipped in eight.  Bradley, Gross and McIntire had five boards each.

Scouting the Lakers (8-5, 6-3 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst averages 77.9 points per game, while holding their opposition to 67.2.  Their +10.7 scoring margin ranks 37th nationally.  They are back to shooting over 50% from the floor at 50.4%% for the season, while they are 71.4% at the charity line.  The Lakers sit at 43.2% shooting outside the arc which is now good for 2nd in the country.  At the defensive end of the floor they are pulling in 31.9 rebounds, putting up right at seven steals per game, and are putting up 2.8 blocks.  

Protect the Ball
The Lakers have done an outstanding job of protecting the ball as their 148 turnovers on the season ranks tenth in the country.  They are also 26th in the nation in turnovers per game with 11.4 which is still good for second in the conference.  

Defense, Defense, Defense
Defense has been the name of the game for the Lakers as they have held their competition to under 70 points in 16 of their last 22 games and eight of the 13 games this campaign.  Mercyhurst has allowed 70+ points four times so far this season on November 23, 2019 in an 87-85 win at home versus Millersville, the 83-80 overtime loss at West Chester last Saturday, the 76-66 setback home against Le Moyne, falling at ESU 83-64, and at IUP 71-56. 

Bench Scoring is Huge
Mercyhurst continues to be strong even outside their starting lineup as they are outscoring their opponents 355-228 for a +127 scoring margin.

Sharing the Wealth 
MiyKah McIntosh leads the team in scoring with 14.4 ppg.  Big men Cameron Gross and Joel Ufele both put up just under ten at 9.5 and 9.3 respectively.  Bradley and McIntire each chip in 8.6 per game. 

Block Party
Mercyhurst has 36 blocks as a team, led by a team-high eleven from Ufele.  Eight other Lakers have recorded blocks on the season as well, including seven by Seager and six from McIntire.   

NCAA Leaders
Bradley ranks 55th in the country and is third in the PSAC in assist-turnover ratio posting a 2.37.  McIntosh is 70th in free throw percentage averaging 85.4%. 

Scouting the Mountain Cats (14-2, 8-1 PSAC)
Pitt-Johnstown has won their last six games including a slim 67-64 victory over Clarion on the road on Saturday.  They are currently receiving votes in the national poll.  As a team they average 81.3 ppg, while allowing only 73 points to the competition.  UPJ from the field is shooting even better than Mercyhurst at 51.1% aided by 35.8% from beyond the arc and 75.5% at the foul stripe.  The Mountain Cats grab 37.9 rebounds per game and cough the ball up over 15 times per game.  John Paul Kromka leads the offense with 16.6 points per game and is their leading rebound man with 7.6 per contest.  Caiden Landis chips in a dozen points, while grabbing 4.5 boards.  Joe Batt, Fred Mulbah, and Drew Magestro each finish with over 9.5 ppg.  Head coach Bob Rukavina is in his 31st season leading the pride of Mountain Cats and is going in search of win number 500 for his career.  

On Deck - Rivalry Day
The Lakers will return to action on Saturday, January 18 when they welcome crosstown rival Gannon University for the Porreco Pride of Erie Cup game with tip set for 7:30 pm at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.