ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball team climbed the first rung of the NCAA Tournament ladder last night by holding off the fifth-seed Fairmont State University by a score of 62-58 at the Academic, Sports & Recreation Complex.  The next step to take happens later tonight when the Lakers take on the top-seed Hillsdale College back down in West Virginia with tipoff set for 7:45pm.   

Game Information
Opponent - No. 1 seed - Hillsdale College Chargers
Date - Sunday, March 14
Time - 7:45 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 Sunday night and can be purchased here.
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Lakers Notes (PDF)
Tournament Program (PDF)

Scouting the Lakers (12-0)
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 have a trio of double-digit scorers that will have a lot to say in how this game goes for the Green and Blue as MiyKah McIntosh leads the way at 14.5 points per game.  He is followed by Daniel Ogele averaging 11.2 and Zach McIntire netting 10.5 per contest.  Steve Cannady chips in 9.6, while the duo of Michael Bradley and Nicholas Lang both drop over eight a game.  Cameron Gross and Melkisedek Moreaux also contribute seven apiece.   

Hitting the Glass
Mercyhurst held a slight edge in the rebounding battle last night at 34-32.  Gross and Ogele both bring down 4.8 per game.  Lang as well as McIntire each averages 3.8, followed by the trio of Bradley, McIntosh and Moreaux who each haul in three per contest.  

Protect the Ball
Mercyhurst was not slowed down by a season-high 16 turnovers in the win against Fairmont State as they forced the Falcons into 19 miscues which the Green and Blue turned into 16 points.  

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.  Mercyhurst continued to dominate on the defensive end of the floor as they held a high-flying Fairmont State team who was averaging 92 points per game to just 58 which was the lowest output for the Falcons in their last 49 contests.  The Lakers have limited their opposition to 70 or fewer in 40 of their last 49 games, including 11 of 12 this season.  

Bench Scoring is Huge
Mercyhurst outscored FSU 13-0 off the bench in last night's contest which increased their already impressive margin to a +143 (353-210). 

Block Party
Moreaux and Ogele each have six blocks to lead the team.  The trio of Bradley, Cannady and Lang have racked up four each, while Gross, McIntire and Ufele have combined for seven.  Jeff Planutis and McIntosh have also added one apiece.  

Team Numbers
Mercyhurst is averaging 82.4 points per game (18th-nationally), while holding their opposition to a 56.3 ppg good for No. 2 in the country which amounts to a nation-best +26.1 scoring margin.  They have shot 50.6% from the floor, while going 74% at the charity line and 38% from beyond the arc.  At the defensive end of the floor they have hauled in 35.6 rebounds, 10.7 steals which is second in the nation, while adding 2.8 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. In the Stable (20-2, 20-1 Great Midwest Athletic)
Hillsdale comes into this matchup looking for their first NCAA Tournament win in 20 years.  The Chargers will have a bad taste in their mouth after suffering a 74-64 home loss in the G-MAC Tournament Semifinal.  Much like Mercyhurst, Hillsdale rely on a very balanced attack with four players averaging double-digits led by 20.6 points from G-MAC Player of the Year Patrick Cartier.  Austen Yarian (12.7), Connor Hill (11.5) and Davis Larson (11.0) completes the group.  On the glass, Tavon Brown grabs 7.1 a game, followed by Yarian and Cartier who each rack up over six per contest.  As a team the top-seed is averaging 76.7 points, while giving up just 63.1.  They shoot 51% from the field, 36.5% outside the arc and 71.3% at the charity line.  The Chargers hold a +3.4 rebound margin grabbing 33.9 on average and give up just 30.5.  Hillsdale much like the Lakers are good at protecting the ball committing 10.3 turnovers per game.  John Tharp is in his 14th season leading the Chargers.
  
On Deck
With another victory Mercyhurst would advance to Tuesday "Sweet 16" contest against the winner of the first semifinal between Charleston and the host West Liberty.