ERIE, Pa. - The No. 21 Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team will get back on the court on Thursday to continue their 2020-21 regular season when they welcome the Ashland University Eagles out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  

Game Information
Opponent - Ashland University Eagles
Date - Thursday, December 17
Time - 5 pm 
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
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Lakers Game Notes

Last Time Out - LAKERS 78, Ferris St. 41 (12/12) / LAKERS 87, Ferris St. 57 (12/13)
Mercyhurst showcased a very balanced attack in their two games against then No. 11 Ferris State as the Lakers had three players land in double-figures on Saturday, before having six individuals record double-digits the next day.  On Saturday, the Lakers showed off a stifling defense allowing the Bulldogs to shoot just 30.8% en route to the 78-41 win.  Mercyhurst used runs of 12-0 and 10-3 to lead 34-18 at half.  The second period left little to be decided as the Lakers ended the game on a 17-0 charge to see things out.  The next day the hosts led 37-31 at the break, before runs of 7-0 and 14-2 broke things open en route to the 30-point triumph.  

Scouting the Lakers (2-0)
Balanced Attack
Over the two games with Ferris the Lakers showed-off their balance on the offensive side of the ball as Steve Cannady, MiyKah McIntosh, Nicholas Lang, Zach McIntire, Melkisedek Moreaux and Daniel Ogele all recorded double-digits on Sunday, while McIntosh, Lang and Ogele netted ten-plus the day prior.    

Hitting the Glass
Cameron Gross is leading the way so far for the Lakers in the rebounding department totaling 14 boards.  Lang is next with 10, followed by nine for Ogele, seven for Moreaux and six by Bradley.  

Looking for Their Place
Returners Owen Chambers, Jared Fagan, Trey Hoepner, Junior Oscar and Kofi Osei will work hard to find bigger roles within the team this season, while newcomers Tony Henderson, Isaiah Jarzab, Sean Lang and Aaron Slaughter will attempt to battle for playing time in practice.  

Protect the Ball
The Lakers continue to value the ball committing 20 combined turnovers over the weekend leading them to a 10.0 average which is right on their average from last season.

Defense, Defense, Defense
Defense continues to be a hallmark of the Lakers as they have held their opponents to under 70 points in both games so far this season and 32 of their last 40 games.  In 2019-20, Mercyhurst allowed 70+ points six times on November 23, 2019 in an 87-85 win at home versus Millersville, the 83-80 overtime loss at West Chester, the 76-66 setback home against Le Moyne, falling at ESU 83-64, at IUP in a 71-56 loss, and on the road at UPJ in an 82-74 win.  In those games Mercyhurst went 2-4. 

Bench Scoring is Huge
Mercyhurst has picked up right where they left off last season dominating the Bulldogs outside of the starting five by a combined 65-25 (+40).

Block Party
Lang, McIntire, Moreaux, Ogele, and Ufele have all recorded at least one so far this season.

Team Numbers
To start this season the Lakers have averaged 82.5 points per game, while holding their opposition to a nation-best 49.0 ppg for a +33.5 scoring margin which is second in the country.  They have shot 51.8% from the floor (5th), while going 83.7% at the charity line (4th).  The team is 41.9% from beyond the arc.  At the defensive end of the floor they have hauled in 34.5 rebounds, forced 10.5 steals (3rd) and added 3.0 blocks per contest.

NCAA Leaders
Bradley ranks 19th in assists per game with 5.0, while Moreaux averages 3.0 steals per contest which ranks seventh in the NCAA.  

All-Conference Selections
The Lakers had two players earn spots on the PSAC West All-Conference team last season.  McIntosh earned First Team honors, while Gross was placed on Second Team.  Coach Manchel also won the PSAC West Coach of the Year award.

In the Eagles Nest (0-0)
Ashland is coming off a 17-12 campaign last season and 10-10 mark in GLIAC action.  They were eliminated from the GLIAC Tournament in the quarterfinals by Grand Valley State by a score of 73-60.  The Eagles bring back three starters from 2019-20, including two-time All-GLIAC selection Aaron Thompson and the reigning Freshman of the Year Brandon Haraway.  Thompson is their leading returning scorer after averaging 12.8 last season.  He was joined in double-figures by Derek Koch at 10.3, while Haraway chipped in 9.4.  Thompson also paced the team on the glass at 7.3, with Koch on his heels at 5.4.  Last season, Ashlan averaged 72.7 ppg and gave up 67.6, while shooting 45.3% from the floor and 73.7% at the stripe.  On the glass they held a +3.4 rebound margin at 35.3 to 31.9.  The Eagles are under the wings of 12th year head coach John Ellenwood.

On Deck
After Thursday the next contest date for the Lakers is not known.

Despite the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference not sponsoring winter sport championships, Mercyhurst remains committed to following NCAA testing protocols and providing safe competitive opportunities for our student-athletes. To provide the safest environment possible for competition, Mercyhurst is building regional schedules against opponents that have also agreed to follow NCAA testing guidelines.

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 men's basketball team is also found on Twitter.