ERIE, Pa. - Coming off their best start to a regular season since the 2008-09 season at 11-0 the Mercyhurst men's basketball team earned their third straight berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament by claiming the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic Regional.  The quest towards a potential National Championship begins on Saturday night when they take on the fifth-seed and Mountain East Conference Champion Fairmont State University at the Academic, Sports & Recreation Complex on the campus of West Liberty University.

Game Information
Opponent - No. 5 seed - Fairmont State University Fighting Falcons
Date - Saturday, March 13
Time - 8:45 pm
Location - West Liberty, W. Va. (Academic, Sports & Recreation Complex)
Series History - Fairmont State leads, 4-2 / Last Lakers Win: 3/16/19 (NCAA 1st Rd), 63-60 (OT) / Last Fairmont State Win: 3/14/15 (NCAA 1st Rd), 68-63   
Fan Note - Tickets are still available for Friday night and can be purchased here.
Live Stats
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Lakers Notes (PDF)
Tournament Program (PDF)

Last Time Out - LAKERS 73, Gannon 66 (2/27/21)
Mercyhurst earned their sixth consecutive Pride of Erie Cup in what turned out to be their regular season finale with a 73-66 triumph over crosstown rival Gannon University back on February 27th.  The Lakers had a double-digit edge at the break (38-27) and used a 10-0 charge to begin the second period to extend the advantage to 48-27.  Gannon took advantage of a 10-2 push to gain some momentum and eventually close the gap to 58-51.  However, the Lakers were able to keep them at bay the rest of the way to seal up the victory.  Daniel Ogele led Mercyhurst with 20 points and claimed the Game Changer Award.  MiyKah McIntosh (13), Zach McIntire (12) and Cameron Gross (11) each hit double-digits as well. 

Scouting the Lakers (11-0)
Third Time's the Charm
Mercyhurst is making their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after making a magical run to the Elite Eight back in the 2018-19 season before losing to the eventual National Champion Northwest Missouri State.  Last year the Lakers were poised to take on the University of Charleston in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Regional before being called back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This year they are back and hungry to advance even further than the Elite Eight squad. 

Hurst is Home
The Lakers are now riding a 14-game winning streak inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center dating back to January 22, 2020 when they suffered a 62-52 setback to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference foe Slippery Rock.  They have won 17 of their last 18 contests at home.    

Pursuit of History
This year's team matched the best start to a regular season in program history with their last victory over Gannon. However, that team began the year 11-0, but ultimately went 5-11 down the stretch for a 16-11 finish.    

Balanced Attack
The Lakers are led by a quartet of double-digit scorers headed up by McIntosh who nets 14.7 points per game.  Ogele adds a cool dozen to the ledger, while the pair of Steve Cannady and McIntire each drop 10 a contest.  The group of Michael Bradley, Nicholas Lang, Melkisedek Moreaux and Gross account for a combined 32 points per game.   

Hitting the Glass
Mercyhurst is 23rd in the nation in rebound margin at a +5.9, grabbing 35.7 boards per game, while allowing the opposition to haul in just 29.8.  Gross and Ogele average almost five rebounds each per contest.  McIntire grabs four and the duo of Lang and Moreaux join together for almost seven a game.  

Protect the Ball
On the season the Green and Blue have given the ball away just 114 times.  Their +9.3 turnover margin leads the nation and the 19.6 turnovers forced per game has them second in Division II.   

Defense, Defense, Defense
For the first time since January 15, 2020 against Pitt-Johnstown (82-74 win) the Lakers allowed more than 70 points to an opponent on January 29th giving up 75 to AIC in their 87-75 victory.  Defense continues to be a hallmark of the Lakers as they have held their opponents to under 70 points in ten of eleven contests this season and 40 of their last 48 games.  In 2019-20, Mercyhurst allowed 70+ points six times and posted a 2-4 mark in those games.   

Bench Scoring is Huge
In a rare occurrence the Lakers were outscored off the bench in their regular season finale 20-8, which dropped their bench scoring margin to what is still an impressive +130 (340-210). 

Block Party
Ggele has six rejections to pace the side.  Both Bradley and Lang have racked up four, while Cannady along with Moreaux each have three.  Gross, McIntire and Ufele have combined for six.  Jeff Planutis and McIntosh have also added one apiece.  

Team Numbers
Mercyhurst is averaging 84.3 points per game (18th-nationally), while holding their opposition to a 56.2 ppg good for No. 2 in the country which amounts to a nation-best +28.1 scoring margin.  They have shot 51% from the floor, while going 76.1% at the charity line and 37.2% from beyond the arc.  At the defensive end of the floor they have hauled in 35.7 rebounds, 10.5 steals which is second in the nation, while adding 2.5 blocks per contest.

NCAA Leaders
Bradley continues to hold a firm grasp on the top spot in Division II for assist-turnover ratio at +7.14 and is 33rd in assists per game (5.0).  Lang ranks 34th in steals per game at 2.0, followed by Bradley with 1.8 for 76th.  McIntosh sits at No. 45 in three-point field goals per game at 2.73 and is 66th in triple percentage shooting at a 37.5% clip from deep.

Milestone for Manchel
With the win over Roberts Wesleyan College on January 19th head coach Gary Manchel became the 39th coach in Division II Men's Basketball history to win 300 games at their current institution.

Pole Position
The Lakers now sit at their highest mark in program history within the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll with their No. 3 ranking, while in the D2SIDA Media poll they held firm at 16th.