ERIE, Pa. - After a 23-day layoff the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team will return to the friendly confines of the Mercyhurst Athletic Center this Friday and Saturday when they welcome the Golden Bears of Miles College out of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for a pair of high noon tip-offs.  

Game Information
Opponent - Miles College Golden Bears
Date - Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9
Time - 12pm (both days)
Location - Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Athletic Center)
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Lakers Notes

Last Time Out - LAKERS 82, Salem 61 (12/15/20)
Jayde Boyd and Grace Centrulla picked up their first collegiate double-double as the Lakers outscored the visiting Tigers 55-21 over the final two quarters to pick up the 82-61 win.  Things were tight early as the game was locked at 7-7, however an 8-2 visiting push helped Salem grab a 23-16 edge through one.  Emily Shopene began the second with a personal 5-0 run and was then joined on the attack by Meghan Komendarek and Centrulla chipped away at the deficit getting within 29-28.  The home side took the lead with Paige Woodford and Nicolette Arnold making it 35-32, but Salem would reclaim a 40-37 edge at the break.  The team sides remained nip and tuck early in the third, before Boyd notched ten points the rest of the way giving the Lakers a 60-53 lead through three.  Julia Buchman, Lauren Klare, Boyd and Centrulla helped the hosts close the game on a 22-8 charge earning the win.   

Scouting the Lakers (3-0)
Strong Start to the Regular Season
The Lakers are off to their best start since 2016-17 when they defeated West Liberty, Notre Dame (Ohio), Cheyney, Millersville and Hillsdale en route to a 5-0 start.  

Balanced Scoring
Boyd and Buchman have paced the Lakers attack with both of them averaging double-digits.  Boyd is leading the way dropping 16 ppg, while Buchman is putting up just over a dozen at 12.3.  The balance continues with Centrulla, Komendarek and Woodford each averaging over eight per contest.  

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 219 appearances in their time with the Lakers.   

Iron Shopes
Shopene has not missed a game let alone a start in her Mercyhurst career.  In 87 contests she has accumulated 687 points, 376 rebounds, 322 assists, 79 steals, and 20 blocks.  She has 28 games with double-digit scoring outputs, but has not hit that mark yet this season.       

Protect the Ball
In three games so far Mercyhurst is doing a better job at protecting the ball as they are sitting just under their average from last season which was 18.0 at 17.3.  They had 18 in their first game of the year, before dropping down to 16 in game number two.  However, the Lakers gave the ball away 18 times their last time out against Salem.    

Block Party
The Lakers have done a nice job getting in the face of the opponent posting 24 blocks so far.  They are led by eight from Komendarek, followed by Boyd with six.  Centrulla and Shopene have a combined six, while Arnold, Buchman, Klare as well as Woodford each have one.

Stat Pack
Mercyhurst through three games is averaging 68 points.  Shooting 37.7% from the floor, 30.3% outside the arc and 71.2% on the charity line.  They are grabbing 48.3 boards per contest to go along with 18 assists.  On the defensive end, the Lakers have 17 steals and 24 blocks.

NCAA Leaders
As a team the Lakers are second in the nation in blocks per game (8.0), third in rebounds per game (48.33).  They are fourth in both field-goal percentage defense (28.8) and defensive rebounds per game (35.3).  Mercyhurst also sits in the Top-10 in assists per game (6th) and total blocks (9th).  Individually, Shopene is fourth in assists per game (7.0) and 20th in defensive rebounds per game (7.3).  With her 2.0 blocks per game Boyd is 14th nationally, while Komendarek sits seventh in blocks per game (2.67). 

In the Bears Den
Miles College arrives in Erie after traveling up from Fairfield, Alabama.  The Golden Bears are coming off a 20-8 season with a 14-4 mark in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action and a trip to the SIAC Tournament semifinals where they suffered a 62-67 setback to Tuskegee.  This weekend will be the first games of the season for Miles who averaged 64.7 ppg last year, while giving up just 55.1.  As a unit they shot 34.2% from the floor, 28.0% beyond the arc and 63.1% at the charity line.  They were strong on the glass hauling in 44 rebounds per game.  Miles will look to speed the Lakers up after forcing 22.8 turnovers out of opponents in 2019-20.  Mya Millner and Kahyanne Bolton are the Golden Bears returning scoring leaders averaging 7.9 and 6.9 respectively.  Raiana Johnson also adds 5.4 per contest, while leading her team on the glass grabbing 6.5 rebounds.  Katrice Jackson and Millner both haul in 4.8 boards as well.  Head Coach Phillip Wallace Jr. is in his 12th season at the helm of the Golden Bears.

On Deck
The Lakers will head out on the road for the first time this season when they head to New York to square off with the Wildcats of Daemen College at 12pm. 

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.