ERIE, Pa. - For the third time this season the Mercyhurst women's basketball team will head on the road to take on a Division I opponent when they head 100-miles west of Erie to battle the Vikings of Cleveland State University out of the Horizon League on Saturday afternoon.
Game Information
Opponent - Cleveland State University Vikings
Date - Saturday, February 6
Time - 4pm
Location - Cleveland, Ohio (Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Center)
Series History - First ever matchup between the Lakers and Vikings
Fan Statement - Fans will not be allowed inside the Wolstein Center.
Live Stats
Watch (PPV)
Lakers Notes (PDF)
Last Time Out - No. 24 AIC 69, LAKERS 66 (OT) (1/30) / LAKERS 64, No. 24 AIC 55 (1/31)
Mercyhurst came out of their longest roadtrip of the season going 1-1 after suffering a heartbreaking defeat on Saturday in overtime, before rallying back less than 24-hours later to earn a massive win over a nationally-ranked opponent. On Saturday, the Lakers had a tough time stopping the duo of Destine Perry and Kyla Smith who both went for 26 points, including Smith hitting the game-winning triple with 1.4 left in overtime.
Meghan Komendarek posted her third double-double of the season, while
Jayde Boyd joined her in double-figures with 19. Sunday the Lakers got 30 combined points out of
Julia Buchman and Komendarek to aid in the victory.
Scouting the Lakers (7-3)
Third Time's the Charm
Mercyhurst will look for their first win against a Division I team this season after dropping a pair of exhibition games to the University at Buffalo on November 25, 2020 (85-49) and at Niagara University (75-63) five days later.
Balanced Scoring
The duo of Boyd and Komendarek lead the way for the offense with both of them chipping in 12 points per game. Buchman is just off the double-digit pace netting 9.7 per contest.
Nicolette Arnold,
Grace Centrulla,
Emily Shopene and
Paige Woodford each average over six points.
Hitting the Glass
The Lakers were outrebounded over the weekend by AIC by a 91-82 margin. As a team they grab 43 boards per game, while allowing just 40.5 to the opposition. Komendarek paces the team with 8.9, with Centrulla sitting in second at 6.1. The trio of Arnold, Boyd and Shopene combine for 15 a game. On the defensive end they are hauling in 32.5 rebounds per game, which is good for fifth in the nation.
Consistency in Starters
Head coach
Brooklyn Kohlheim has gone with the same starting lineup nine of ten games. That group of five has consisted of Boyd, Buchman and Shopene in the backcourt with Arnold along with Komendarek up front. The only exception came on January 9th against Miles when Woodford took over for Shopene as she missed the game with a lower-body injury.
Protect the Ball
Mercyhurst has done a better job protecting the ball recently as they have recorded 15 or less miscues in each of their last three games, which includes a season-low 13 in the overtime loss on Saturday night. As a unit they have brought season average down from a high of 18.3 to 16.9 per game.
Block Party
The Lakers recorded 10 blocks as a team over the weekend. Boyd and Centrulla accounted for six of them by posting three each on Sunday in the win. Centrulla leads the team with 17, followed by 13 each from Boyd and Komendarek.
Emma McDermott, Arnold, Buchman and Shopene each have multiple blocks on the season as well. Their 60 blocked shots as a unit is good for sixth nationally, while the 6.0 per game ranks fifth.
Stat Pack
Through ten games the team is averaging 64.8 ppg and are allowing the opposition just 58.6. They are shooting 38.2% from the floor, 29% outside the arc and 71.6% on the charity line. They are grabbing 43.0 boards per contest to go along with 14.7 assists. On the defensive end, the Lakers average 5.5 steals and 6.0 blocks each game.
NCAA Leaders
As a team the Lakers are 27th in rebounds per game (43.0). At the defensive end they are now third in field-goal percentage defense (30.7). Individually, Shopene ranks 31st in assists per game (4.9). With her 17 blocks Centrulla ranks 33rd, with the 13 by Boyd and Komendarek leaves them at 53rd.
In the Polls
Mercyhurst sits at No. 5 in the D2SIDA Regional Rankings.
Norse Code (5-7)
Cleveland State University is out of the Horizon League and comes into the contest with a mark of 5-7, but have won their last three in a row. Most of their scoring comes from three players all of whom average double-figures, led by Mariah White with 19.5. She is followed by Nadia Dumas (12.1) and Destiny Leo (10.7). The next highest scorer is Taylah Levy who nets 4.2 points per game. On the glass, Dumas paces the side hauling in 6.8. Isabelle Gradwell, Barbara Zieniewska and White each contribute over four per contest as well. As a team the Vikings hold a negative scoring difference averaging 59.5, while surrendering 62.4. They shoot 38.2% in the field, 29.3% from long range and just 63% at the charity line. CSU is being outrebounded 34.4 to 37.8, while turning the ball over 17.7 times, but forcing 9.6 steals. Chris Kielsmeier is at the head of the Vikings ship for the third season.
On Deck
The Lakers will be off until next Sunday, February 14th when they head to D'Youville College at 1pm.
