ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball will attempt to sweep the season and try an improve their place in the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament when they welcome the Golden Eagles of Clarion University to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon for conference action.

Game Information 
Opponent - Clarion University Golden Eagles
Date - Saturday, February 8
Time - 3:00 pm
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
Series History - Hurst leads 32-28, (Lakers won 86-52 at Tippin Gymnasium on 1/8/20)
Lakers Notes
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Last Meeting vs. Clarion - LAKERS 86, Golden Eagles 52  (1/8/20)
Mercyhurst went wire-to-wire thanks to some hot shooting from beyond the arc going 11-16 in the opening half, before settling down in the second frame going just 1-4.  Trystan Pratapas, Cameron Gross, and Michael Bradley got things going early getting the visitors in front 14-4.  Then triples from Zach McIntire, Nicholas Lang, and MiyKah McIntosh opened things up from deep to extend the lead to 32-15 at the halfway mark.  Joel Ufele, Andrew Seager, along with Steve Cannady finished the half on a 16-6 charge to lead 54-27 going to the locker room.  In the second period the Lakers never let Clarion back into it leading by over 30 with six minutes remaining to finish off the 86-52 win.  Gross and Pratapas had 15 to lead Mercyhurst, while Lang and Bradley added 13 and 11.  Lang also had a team-high six boards.  

Last Time Out - LAKERS 68, Seton Hill 39 (2/5/20)
Mercyhurst trailed early 2-0, but answered back with seven straight to take the lead.  However, an 11-3 run by the Griffins gave the host a slim one-point cushion 15-14.  Lang, Gross and Ufele got the Lakers back in front 20-15, and would ensure they never trailed again in the half as they went to the locker room ahead 28-24.  In the second half in was all Mercyhurst as runs of 5-0 and 7-0 helped the guest outscore Seton Hill 40-15 over the final 20-minutes to coast to the 29-point victory.  McIntosh had 22 to pace the Lakers, with Bradley notching 19 in addition.  Ufele, Gross, and McIntire each brought in eight boards.

Scouting the Lakers (13-7, 11-5 PSAC)
Team Numbers
Mercyhurst averages 74.3 points per game, while holding their opposition to 64.5 which is 8th in the country and tops in the PSAC.  Their +9.8 scoring margin ranks 38th nationally.  They shoot 47.3% from the floor, while they are 71.9% at the charity line.  The Lakers are shooting a solid 39.2% from beyond the arc leaving them 31st in the nation and second in the conference.  At the defensive end of the floor they are pulling in 32.3 rebounds, putting up just over seven steals per game with 7.2, in addition to 2.2 blocks per game.  

Protect the Ball
The Lakers have done a fantastic job of protecting the ball as their 202 turnovers on the season after just five on Wednesday night, which ranks fourth in the country and second in the PSAC.  Mercyhurst is ninth nationally in average turnovers per game with 10.1 which is also second-best in conference.  

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 22 of their last 29 games and 14 of the 20 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 479-311 for a +168 scoring margin.

Sharing the Wealth 
The Lakers have two players dropping double-figures on average led by McIntosh with 13.9, followed by Gross at 11.  Both McIntire and Bradley are putting up over nine per contest at 9.9 and 9.2 respectively.  Ufele and Lang are combining for 13 points, while Pratapas and Cannady both sit at 5.9. 

Block Party
Mercyhurst has 44 blocks as a team, led by a 14 from Ufele.  Eight other Lakers have recorded blocks on the season as well, including eight each from Seager and McIntire.   

NCAA Leaders
Bradley ranks 25th in the country and is tops in the PSAC in assist-turnover ratio posting a 2.73.

Scouting the Golden Eagles (4-18, 2-13 PSAC)
Clarion comes into the game on a bit of a skid after dropping their last four contests, including a 71-64 setback at Slippery Rock on Wednesday night.  The Golden Eagles hold a -10 scoring margin putting up 65.5 ppg, while allowing 75.5 to the competition.  They are shooting 42.5% from the floor, exactly 35% outside the arc, but are struggling on the charity stripe shooting just 63.1%.  Clarion has had some issues holding onto the ball coughing it up 15.7 times per game, which results in 17.7 opponent points.  Stevan Rodriguez leads a trio of double-digit scorers dropping 14.9 ppg, followed by Elijah Cottrill (11.9) and Kaison Branch (11.4).  Mason Mraz and Aaron Hilzendeger each net over eight points per contest.  On the glass James Price and Mraz both are grabbing more than five rebounds, while Jordan Agyemang, Rodriguez,and Branch all pull down four-plus boards.  Damian Pitts is in his first season at the head of the Golden Eagles nest.

Postseason Watch
The Lakers have already clinched a spot in the upcoming PSAC Tournament, and now are in pursuit of a top-two seed in order to earn a bye in the first round.  Currently, Mercyhurst sits tied for third with Cal U, but they are just one game in back of second-place Pitt-Johnstown who visits the MAC on February 19th in a must-see game. 

On Deck - Retention of the Pride of Erie Cup
Mercyhurst will return to action on Wednesday, February 12th when they make the trip down State Street to the Hammermill Center to take on crosstown rival Gannon University at 7:30 pm.