ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's basketball team will look to make a huge statement on Saturday when they welcome the fifth-ranked Crimson Hawks of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action.

Game Information 
Opponent - No. 5 IUP Crimson Hawks
Date - Saturday, February 1
Time - 3:00 pm
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
Series History - IUP leads 28-6, (IUP won last meeting 61-55 at the Kovalchick Athletic Complex on 1/6/20)
Promotion - Women in Sports Day and Post-Game Autograph session (See story here)
Tickets
Lakers Notes
Live Stats
Live Video

Get Your Beer Here
Beer sales will be available to all patrons 21 years of age or older and will be sold at the stand located next to the concession stand in the Mercyhurst Hall of Fame area.  Sales will begin 60-minutes prior to tipoff of the women's game and will stop midway through the second half of the men's contest. 

Last Meeting against the Crimson Hawks
Mercyhurst fought hard all night long building on a 15-12 first quarter lead to extend the advantage to 28-20 at halftime.  However, IUP used runs of 11-0, 7-0, and 10-1 to run past the Lakers to grab the 61-55 victory at home on January 6th.  Nicolete Newman led the Lakers with 16 points, followed in double-figures by Emily Shopene and Amber Renz with 14 and 11 respectively.  Kori Sidwell netted seven.  Renz was the leader on the glass ripping down seven boards, while Jenna Kunst, Lauren Lapertosa, and Sidwell each grabbed five.  Justina Mascaro paced the Hawks with 20.  

Last Time Out -  Edinboro 78, LAKERS 61
Mercyhurst held a slim 21-19 edge after 10-minutes on Wednesday night against Edinboro, but trailed the Fighting Scots by one, 40-39 at halftime.  Edinboro took control of the game in the third as a 16-4 charge sparked by Rana Elhusseini had the away side ahead by a dozen through 30.  The Lakers never could get any closer as a 10-2 run late in the fourth from Meghan Komendarek, Stephanie Petery, Rachel Chessar, and Vivian Allison was not enough as the guests left victorious 78-61.  Renz had 19 to lead the Lakers.  The trio of Sidwell, Lapertosa, and Allison combined for 22 points.  Sidwell had seven rebounds to lead the team.   

Scouting the Lakers (5-14, 5-8 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst currently holds a -7.6 scoring margin averaging 62.8 ppg, but allowing 70.4 to the opposition.  The Lakers as a team are shooting 41.7% from the floor, while hitting at a 29.1% clip outside the arc, but only 67.4% on the line.  As a unit they are averaging 13.7 assists per game, while on the glass they pull in an even 35.5 rebounds per contest and continue to only allow 33.8 to the opposition.  

NCAA Ranks
As a team Mercyhurst ranks inside the Top-100 nationally in field-goal percentage (97th), assists (72nd), blocked shots (42nd), and blocked shots per game (55th).  Individually, Renz is 53rd in the country and fifth in the PSAC shooting 53.6%.  Shopene and Lapertosa rank 15th and 59th in minutes per game with 37.13 and 34.65 respectively.  Shopene is sixth nationally in total minutes played at 742:32, while Lapertosa sits at 22nd with 692:59.   

Protect the Ball
After posting their third lowest turnover ouput of the season (11) on Wednesday, Mercyhurst has now shrunk their turnover margin down to -3.4 averaging 17 per game allowing 17.2 ppg off of their turnovers, while converting their opponents 13.6 mistakes into 12.7 ppg. 

Ball Hogs
The Lakers picked up six more steals on Wednesday versus the Fighting Scots bringing their season number to 131 averaging 6.6 per game.  Lapertosa (31) along with Shopene and Sidwell (20) lead the team.  Newman and Julia Buchman also are in double-digits with 19 and 10 respectively.  Renz is just off that mark adding nine.  

Crash the Boards
Mercyhurst is a +1.7 in rebound margin at 35.5 to 33.8.  Lapertosa and Sidwell both average over five rebounds per game with 5.3 and 5.0.  Newman, Renz, and Shopene each average over four per game.  

Balanced Scoring 
Renz leads the team in scoring with 15.2, while Shopene lands just outside of double-figures with 9.9.  Newman also drops over nine per contest with Eliza Oswalt and Lapertosa chipping in 8.3 and 7.3 respectively.  Sidwell averages exactly five points per game.  

Block Party
The Lakers had a huge blocking night on Wednesday posting a season-high nine as a unit.  Their season total now sits at 77 as they average almost four a game (3.9).  Lapertosa now paces the team with 17, while Renz and Komendarek each have 15.  Sidwell and Shopene have combined for 15.  Oswalt, Petery, Buchman, Newman, and Allison have all recorded at least one.    

Scouting the Crimson Hawks (18-1, 13-1 PSAC)
Indiana (Pa.) comes to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in the midst of a historic run having won 17-straight games breaking the school's previous record of 16 set in the 1999-2000 season.  The Crimson Hawks also became the first team to secure a spot in the PSAC playoffs by virtue of their 81-55 win over Seton Hill on Wednesday.  As a unit they are shooting 47.5% from the field, 41.7% outside the arc, and a solid 74.2% on the line.  Their +19.3 scoring margin is good for 12th in the nation putting up 72 ppg, while allowing only 52.7.  They also possess a double-digit rebound margin at +11.4 grabbing 39.7 per game and give up just 28.3.  Mascaro is their leading scorer with 14.6 ppg, while Natalie Myers (14.2) and Lexi Griggs (12.7) join her in double-figures.  Maura D'Anna and Myers are the leaders on the glass with each of them grabbing over seven per contest.  Tom McConnell leads the IUP nest for the seventh season.

On Deck
The Lakers head on the road Wednesday night to Seton Hill University as they look to avenge an 82-65 setback in Erie on 1/3/20 with a 5:30 pm tip.