Erie, Pa.—After defeating Mansfield Tuesday, the No. 3/7 Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team is set to keep rolling and PSAC East opponents as they host Bloomsburg Saturday and East Stroudsburg Sunday on Owen McCormick Court at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
The Matchups
The Lakers have had a history of success against the Huskies, with a near-perfect 12-1 record all-time against Bloomsburg dating back to 1993. The two teams last met on January 20, 2019, in Bloomsburg, with Mercyhurst walking away with a 77-59 win.
Mercyhurst swung over to East Stroudsburg the next night, and the Warriors dealt the Lakers an 83-64 loss. In their all-time series that dates back to 1989, East Stroudsburg is 9-4 against Mercyhurst.
Winning Over the Media
While the coaches have had Mercyhurst ranked in the top five in the NABC's national poll since Nov. 23, the media has been slower to come around on the now 9-0 (3-0 in PSAC play) Lakers. This week's national polls saw the Lakers remain at No. 3 in the NABC poll while climbing a spot to No. 7 in the D2SIDA national media poll. As with previous weeks, Indiana (Pa.) remains at No. 3 in the media poll and No. 1 in the Atlantic Region according to the media, while Mercyhurst remains at No. 2 in the region while taking one first-place vote away from the Crimson Hawks.
Hunt for 1,000
Senior MiyKah McIntosh finds himself just 10 points away from membership in the 1,000-point club. Just 16 Lakers have reached the milestone, and none since Luis Leao in 2013. He currently sits at 18th all-time in total points.
Scouting the Huskies
Bloomsburg turned in a 68-65 win at Edinboro Thursday, their first PSAC win of the season, to improve to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Justin Anderson is averaging just under 20 points per game, while Jake Nelson is almost averaging a double-double, with 10 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Scouting the Warriors
East Stroudsburg enters the weekend tied for the top spot in the PSAC East with a 2-1 conference record, 4-3 overall. They are currently tied with Shippensburg, who Mercyhurst defeated on the road 80-67 on Dec. 3. The Warriors will play Edinboro Saturday before taking on the Lakers Sunday. As a team, the Warriors are averaging 11.14 steals per game, second in the PSAC only to Mercyhurst, with an average of 12.78 in two more games.
