ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball goes in search of their seventh-straight victory and looks to even grab a firmer hold on the second seed in the upcoming PSAC Tournament when they visit the Fighting Scots of Edinboro University on Saturday afternoon.  

Opponent - Edinboro University Fighting Scots
Date - Saturday, January 22
Time - 3:00 pm
Location - Edinboro, Pa. (McComb Fieldhouse)
Series History - Edinboro leads 52-40, (Lakers won last meeting 93-56 at home on 1/29/20)
Lakers Notes
Live Stats
Live Video

Last Meeting against Edinboro - LAKERS 93, Fighting Scots 56 (1/29/20)
Mercyhurst fell behind 2-0, before rattling off 21 straight thanks to MiyKah McIntosh, Cameron Gross, Michael Bradley, and Nicholas Lang.  A 7-2 run later in the half on buckets from Bradley and Gross opened it up to 31-10, but a 7-0 push from Edinboro late in the frame kept them around howeverr they tailed 46-23 at half.  Eary in the second half McIntosh scored six points during an 8-3 sprint to extend the advantage over 20 at 54-30.  Mercyhurst continued to put distance between the sides as runs of 9-0 and 12-0 helped them coast across the finish line for the victory.  McIntosh (20), Gross (15), Bradley (12), and Andrew Seager (10) led the way for the Lakers.  Gross finished off a double-double grabbing 10 boards.  

Last Time Out - LAKERS 73, Mountain Cats 64 (2/19/20)
Mercyhurst used a strong shooting performance going 45.6% from the field and 14-26 (53.8%) beyond the arc to shoot their way past the visiting Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday night at MAC.  UPJ took an early 2-0 edge, but McIntosh, Lang and Gross quickly made it 8-2.  Mercyhurst continued to distance themselves as Zach McIntire joined McIntosh and Gross on an 11-0 run to open up a double-digit gap.  The Lakers would grow the lead out to 42-27 at the break as Joel Ufele and McIntire punctuated the period with both players posting dunks.  Fred Mulbah, Drew Magestro, John Paul Kromka, and Josh Wise tried to help UPJ crawl back into the game with a 9-2 push to trim the margin to 48-38.  However, Steve Cannady, McIntosh, and Bradley regained the momentum for the home side stretching the lead out to 60-40.  A late charge by the 'Cats would cut the deficit to single digits 68-60, but Lang scored the last five points for the Lakers as they won 73-64.  Cannady (17), McIntosh (15), Bradley (12) and McIntire (11) paced the Lakers.  Gross pulled down 10 rebounds.    

Scouting the Lakers (16-7, 14-5 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst averages 73.9 points per game, while holding their opposition to 63.0 which is 5th in the country and first in the conference.  Their +10.9 scoring margin ranks 30th nationally.  They shoot 47.1% from the floor, while they are 71.7% at the charity line.  The Lakers are shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc leaving them ninth in the country and are the PSAC best.  At the defensive end of the floor they are pulling in 31.8 rebounds, putting up just over seven steals per game with 7.3, in addition to 2.1 blocks per game.  

Protect the Ball
The Lakers are the third best team in the nation at holding onto the ball as they have committed 238 (10.3 per game) turnovers for the season, while forcing 14.7 out of their opponents per game. 

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 25 of their last 32 games and 17 of the 23 games this campaign.  Mercyhurst has allowed 70+ points six 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, 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. 

Bench Scoring is Huge
Mercyhurst continues to be strong even outside their starting lineup as they are outscoring their opponents 543-346 for a +197 scoring margin.  After outscoring UPJ 21-15 off the bench on Wednesday night.

Sharing the Wealth 
The Lakers have three players averaging double-digits led by McIntosh with 13.8, followed by Gross at 10.3 and McIntire with 10.2.  Bradley is netting 9.1 per game.  Ufele chips in 7.2, while Lang and Cannady each drop over six. 

Block Party
Mercyhurst has 48 blocks as a team after notching three on Wednesday, led by a 14 from Ufele.  Eight other Lakers have recorded blocks on the season as well, including nine from McIntire and eight by Seager.   

NCAA Leaders
Bradley ranks 32nd in the country and is second in the PSAC in assist-turnover ratio posting a 2.56.

Postseason Push
The Lakers control their destiny to earning the two seed in the PSAC West, and by virtue of their win on Wednesday have assured themselves of no worse than the fourth seed which assures them of at least one home game.  

Scouting the Fighting Scots (5-18, 2-17 PSAC)
Edinboro is having a rough season as they have lost their last 14 contests, including an 86-67 setback at Indiana (Pa.) on Wednesday night.  They hold a -14.8 scoring margin netting 70 ppg, while giving up 84.8 to the opposition.  As a unit they sit at  39.7% from the floor, 28.6% beyond the arc, and 73.7% on the foul line.  Edinboro has been challenged on the glass being outrebounded by their opponents 41.1 to 37.9.  Turnovers have also been a problem as they cough it up 15.7 times per game, while only forcing 11.6.  Three players average double-digits for the Fighting Scots led by Anthony Coleman with 17.5, followed by Trey Staunch (15.3) and Jaryn Simpson (14.6).  Daylon Harris also adds 8.6 per contest.  Staunch is the leading rebounder grabbing 7.9 per game, while Coleman and Simpson each average over five. 

On Deck - Final Home Game of the Regular Season
Mercyhurst will have their final home contest of the regular season when they welcome the California (Pa.) Vulcans to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm.