ERIE, Pa. - Coming off a pair of impressive wins over Lincoln University last week, the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team will get back on the court this week as they host the Tigers of Salem University at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Game Information
Opponent - Salem University Tigers
Date - Tuesday, December 15 and Wednesday, December 16
Time - 3 pm (Tuesday) and 2 pm (Wednesday)
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
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Lakers Notes

Last Time Out - LAKERS 64, Lincoln 61 (12/8) / LAKERS 58, Lincoln 51 (12/9)
On Tuesday in the season-opener the Lakers had three players reach double figures as sophomore Jayde Boyd led all scorers with 16 points, followed by a dozen each from junior Julia Buchman and rookie Paige Woodford.  Mercyhurst led through one, but trailed 27-25 after being outscored 11-4 over the second ten-minutes.  However, the Lakers led by as many as 10 in the fourth, before the Lions chipped away getting it down to three but that would be it.  Then on Wednesday, Buchman led all scorers with 14, while senior Meghan Komendarek added 13.  The Lakers came out of the gate flying high as they took a 12-2 lead early.     Mercyhurst continued to hold the Lions at bay leading by three at half and one through three, before a 5-0 personal charge by Boyd helped the Lakers to the 58-51 triumph.  

Scouting the Lakers (2-0)
Strong Start to the Regular Season
The Lakers are off to their best start since 2016-17 when they defeated West Liberty, Notre Dame (Ohio), Cheyney, Millersville and Hillsdale en route to a 5-0 start.  

Balanced Scoring
Mercyhurst had four double-digit scorers between the two games in Boyd, Buchman, Komendarek and Woodford.  In fact nine different players found the scoring column in the two contests against Lincoln as Nicolette Arnold, Grace Centrulla, Lauren Klare, Eliza Oswalt and Emily Shopene joined the four double-digit scorers.  

Relying on Senior Trio
Eliza Oswalt along with classmates Komendarek and Shopene will be the leadership group that the team will lean on throughout the season.  The trio have accounted for 216 appearances in their time with the Lakers.   

Iron Shopes
Shopene has not missed a game let alone a start in her Mercyhurst career.  In 86 contests she has accumulated 680 points, 366 rebounds, 313 assists, 77 steals, and 19 blocks.  She has 28 games with double-digit scoring outputs.       

Protect the Ball
In the first game against the Lions the Lakers were right at their turnover average from last season putting up 18, while in the game on Wednesday they cut down the number by two finishing at 16.  That could be a positive sign and a trend to watch the rest of the season. 

Block Party
The Lakers showcased their blocking skills last week notching a combined 20 between both contests.  Boyd and Komendarek led the way with six each.  Centrulla added three, while Arnold, Buchman, Klare, Shopene and Woodford all had one apiece.

Stat Pack
Mercyhurst through two games is averaging 61 points.  Shooting 36.5% from the floor, 32.1% outside the arc and 72.4% on the charity line.  They are grabbing 45.0 boards per contest to go along with 15.5 assists.  On the defensive end, the Lakers had six steals and 20 blocks combined in the games with the Lions.

Inside the Cage (0-3)
Salem University comes into this week winless having suffered defeats to Division I foes University of Delaware (54-111) and Norfolk State University (66-96) as well as Georgetown College (Kent.) (72-84).  The Tigers have a relatively young team as they do not have a single senior with the exception of graduate student Alicia Smith out of Palm Coast, Florida.  So far they have been led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Smith (14.0), Daniela Quesada (12.3) and Nerea Arambarri-Fernandez (12.0).  On the glass Inari Jones has the team lead pulling down seven per contest, followed by Faith Williams (5.4), Quesada (4.7) and Arambarri-Fernandez (4.3).  Cody Gilmore is in his third campaign as the head of the Tigers program.

On Deck
After the two games this week the Lakers will be on a bit of a hiatus for the holiday break.  Coach Kohlheim is still looking to fill the rest of her schedule which will take place sometime at the start of 2021.

Spectator Policy 2020-21 Season 

Due to the current public health guidelines in the State of Pennsylvania, Mercyhurst University unfortunately will not be able to accommodate any spectators for the start of this season. While we are disappointed to share this news with our loyal supporters, this decision is an important step in continuing to provide a healthy environment for our student athletes, Mercyhurst, and Erie communities. Mercyhurst will continue to remain in communication with local, state, and federal agencies over the course of the season to explore possible fan attendance for this season. 

For all the latest schedule updates and news about the Mercyhurst Lakers you can follow us on all social media outlets Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or visit hurstathletics.com.  The women's basketball team is also found on Twitter.