ERIE, Pa. - After two Division I exhibition games against University of Buffalo and Niagara University,  Head Coach Brooklyn Kohlheim and the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team will begin their 2020-21 regular season when they host Lincoln University out of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association on Tuesday and Wednesday inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Game Information
Opponent - Lincoln University Lions
Date - Tuesday, December 8 and Wednesday, December 9
Time - 3 pm (both days)
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
Game Notes
Live Stats
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Last Time Out: Niagara 75, LAKERS 63
In their second Division I exhibition game the Lakers dug themselves an early hole trailing 28-10 to the Purple Eagles after the opening frame.  Mercyhurst attempted to work themselves back into the game in the second with Nicolette Arnold, Jayde Boyd, Lauren Klare, Emily Shopene and Paige Woodford helped Mercyhurst outscore the home side 16-13 in the period.  The Lakers continued to be strong in the third as Meghan Komendarek and Brittini Martin joined in the scoring, before the team kept the pressure on ending with a 13-4 run to be down 57-49 through three.  After a sluggish start to the fourth Grace Centrulla, Arnold and Woodford were the catalysts to bring the Lakers to within 62-57.  However, Niagara would open it up the rest of the way for the win.   

Scouting the Lakers (0-0)
Beginning An Unusual Regular Season
In a season where very little is assured as the pandemic continues to sweep through the nation.  The Lakers will begin the regular season on Tuesday as an independent after the PSAC opted out of playing a conference-only schedule.  Mercyhurst so far has four games on the horizon the two with Lincoln and a pair with Salem University on the 15th and 16th of this month.  More games are in the works and hope to be announced at a later date.  

Newcomers Make Presence Felt
Transfers Nicolette Arnold and Jayde Boyd along with the freshmen group of Grace Centrulla, Lauren Klare, Brittini Martin and Paige Woodford had a massive impact in the game against Niagara as they accounted for 50 of the team's 63 points.  Arnold paced the side with 17, while Woodford followed up with nine.

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 210 appearances in their time with the Lakers.   

Iron Shopes
Shopene has not missed a game let alone a start in her Mercyhurst career.  In 84 contests she has accumulated 672 points, 353 rebounds, 301 assists, 75 steals, and 19 blocks.  She has 28 games with double-digit scoring outputs.        

Stat Pack
Mercyhurst went 24-59 (40.7%) from the floor and 7-17 (41.2%) beyond the arc to go along with 8-10 (80%) at the charity line against Niagara.  The Lakers grabbed 30 rebounds (8 offensive, 22 defensive), while handing out 18 assists and recording six steals.  Mercyhurst put up 26 points off the bench and 30 in the paint.

In the Lions Den (0-1)
The Lincoln University Lions arrive in Erie with a mark of 0-1 after dropping their season-opener to Division I George Washington University by a score of 53-38.  They also took part in an exhibition against Division I Syracuse University falling to the Orange by a score of 90-39.  It is hard to say what the Lions will bring to the table as their roster consists of nine transfers from various levels of collegiate athletics.  They much like the Lakers will rely on a senior trio as Bryanna Brown, Joy Morton and Skydajah Patterson seek to cause the Green and White problems.  Brown is the Lions leading returning scorer notching 7.4 ppg last season.  However, she is 2-20 from the floor this season.  Morton, is a do it all player averaging 6.0 ppg and 4.8 rebounds in 2019-20.  Patterson chipped in 5.1 ppg in her first campaign with Lincoln after transferring in from Hostos Community College.  Lincoln is under the direction of Darrell Mosley in his sixth season.

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 women's basketball team is also found on Twitter.