ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball team looks to lockup a first-round bye in the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament when they welcome the Vulcans of the California University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.  

Game Information
Opponent - California University of Pennsylvania Vulcans
Date - Wednesday, February 26
Time - 7:30 pm
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
Series History - Hurst leads 21-8 (Vulcans won last meeting 69-51 on 1/25/20 at home)
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Last Meeting against Cal U - Vulcans 69, LAKERS 51 (1/25/20)
Mercyhurst fell behind early as Luke House, Brent Pegram, and Zyan Collins used runs of 13-4 and 15-4 in the opening 20-minutes to lead 38-17 at halftime.  The Lakers in the half shot 6-29 from the floor and 0-15 beyond the arc.  An 11-0 visitors charge in the second period brought the deficit to within 47-37, unfortunately Mercyhurst would get no closer as the Vulcans saw out the 69-51 victory.  The Lakers struggled shooting the ball going 27.3% in the field and went just 1-24 from outside.  MiyKah McIntosh, Zach McIntire, and Cameron Gross each scored 11 points.  Joel Ufele added 10.  

Last Time Out - LAKERS 89, Fighting Scots 69 (2/22/20)
Mercyhurst went down 6-5, before taking total control of the opening half as Gross, McIntire, McIntosh, Lang, and Ufele sent the Lakers on a 17-3 rampage to take a commanding 22-8 lead.  Steve Cannady. Gross, and McIntire pushed the advantage to 32-15.  The visitors continued to add on before the break using a 10-2 charge to lead 43-25 at half.  The second frame was all about the Lakers as well as they pushed the lead over 20 at 53-32 early in the period.  They would then stretch the advantage over 30 thanks to triples from Gross, McIntosh, and Lang.  From that moment on Mercyhurst maintained a sizeable lead coasting to the 89-69 final.  McIntire (19), McIntosh (17), Gross (16), and Lang (14) led the Lakers attack.  

Scouting the Lakers (17-7, 15-5 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst averages 74.5 points per game, while holding their opposition to 63.3 which is 5th in the country and first in the conference.  Their +11.3 scoring margin ranks 23rd nationally.  They shoot 47.2% from the floor, while they are 71.5% at the charity line.  The Lakers are shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc leaving them eighth in the country and are the PSAC best.  At the defensive end of the floor they are pulling in 31.9 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 top team in the nation at holding onto the ball as they have committed 242 (10.1 per game) turnovers for the season, while forcing 14.6 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 26 of their last 33 games and 18 of the 24 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 564-378 for a +186 scoring margin.  

Sharing the Wealth 
The Lakers have three players averaging double-digits led by McIntosh with 13.9, followed by Gross at 10.6 and McIntire with 10.5.  Michael Bradley is netting 8.8 per game.  Ufele chips in 7.2, while Lang and Cannady each drop over six. 

Block Party
Mercyhurst has 51 blocks as a team after picking up three on Saturday, led by a 15 from Ufele.  Eight other Lakers have recorded blocks on the season as well, including ten from McIntire and nine by Andrew Seager.   

NCAA Leaders
Bradley ranks 18th in the country and tops in the PSAC in assist-turnover ratio posting a 2.84.

Senior Day
Before the game Trystan Pratapas the lone senior on the Mercyhurst men's basketball team will be honored for his contributions to the Mercyhurst basketball program.

Postseason Push
The Lakers control their destiny to earning the two seed in the PSAC West, and are assured of at least one home game.  With a win on Wednesday they would secure the first-round bye.

Scouting the Vulcans (18-8, 14-6 PSAC)
California (Pa.) arrives in Erie in a great run of form having won three straight after dropping Clarion on the road Saturday by a final of 79-54.  The Vulcans hold a +8.4 scoring margin netting 82.1 ppg, while allowing just 73.7 to the competition.  As a team they are shooting 45.1% from the floor, 38% outside the arc, and 73.5% at the charity stripe. They are being outrebounded by a very slim margin at 38.1 to 37.3.  Cal much like Mercyhurst does an excellent job of protecting the ball turning it over 12.6 times per game, while forcing 15.4 out of their opponents.  Four Vulcans are averaging double-figures paced by Brent Pegram with 20.2, followed by Zyan Collins (14.6), Luke House (13.7), and Jermaine Hall Jr. (11.2).  Philip Alexander and Tim Smith Jr. both drop over eight per contest.  Hall is their leading rebounder hauling in 7.3 per game, followed by House with 6.2.    

On Deck - Regular Season Finale
Mercyhurst heads out on the road for their final contest of the regular season when they visit Slippery Rock on Saturday for a 3pm tip against the Rock.