Erie, Pa.—After two games on the road, No. 7/8 Men's Basketball will play on Owen McCormick Court for the first time in 2022 as they host Clarion at 1 p.m. Monday.

The Matchup

The Lakers are 34-28 all-time against Clarion in their series dating back to 1972. Two of a small number of PSAC teams that played in 2020-21, the pair played on Feb. 3, 2021, and Mercyhurst won at home 91-54.

Across the Nation

The Lakers enter the week in the top 20 nationally in a number of statistics, including second in Division II in turnover margin (10.3) and fourth in steals per game (12.1). They are also out-scoring opponents by an average of 21.8 points per game, which is fourth in the country. That has been aided by their opponents' points average of 62.7 per game, which is No. 16 nationally.

Save that Ball!

Mercyhurst Head Coach Gary Manchel reached another coaching milestone in Saturday's win at Seton Hill. Specifically, he earned win No. 450 as a head coach, with 320 of those wins coming at the helm of the Lakers since the 2003-04 season.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

Clarion enters the week with a 6-4 overall record and 2-3 in PSAC play, but Monday will be the first game for the Golden Eagles in the new year. Their first three games of the calendar year have been either canceled or postponed. Clarion has three players averaging in the double-digits: Gerald Jarmon (17.5 points per game), Connor Ferrell (15.0) and Lawrence Lemon (11.6).