Erie, Pa.- Mercyhurst Men's Basketball gets their 2022-23 season underway in short order as they are set to go to Amherst, N.Y. to take on the Daemen University Wildcats Wednesday, November 16th, at 7:30 p.m.

Mercyhurst looks to build out their series lead against the Wildcats a little more. So far all-time, the Lakers are 6-2 against Daemen with them previously holding a five-game winning streak. The two losses the Lakers have complied against Daemen have come on the road, but Mercyhurst was right till the end in them as they've fallen 69-63 in the inaugural matchup and 67-65 in their most recent trip to Amherst. 

2. Relying on Returners

Mercyhurst welcomes back the majority of the 2021-22 roster with a dozen players from last year's team returning to the team for another season. That group is headlined by graduate guard MiyKah McIntosh who comes off a season in which he led the Lakers in points per game with 16 while shooting 38.9% from three on his way to an all-conference nod. He is joined by the likes of Jeff Planutis and Michael Bradley who both averaged double-digit points in the 2021-22 season and Nicholas Lang who led the team in rebounds, assists, and steals in 2021-22.

3. Fresh Faces

The team adds four freshmen to the team in Dasan Doucet, Christian Gamble, and Sean Fullerton who add depth to the team's backcourt while Luke Triggs helps give Mercyhurst some length on the wing and inside, standing 6'7". Even with a veteran group, Head Coach Gary Manchel looks to use his youngsters as the Lakers vie for their first conference title since 2016.

4. The Man(chel)

The aforementioned Manchel is back at Mercyhurst for his 20th season as the head coach of the Lakers. Manchel holds a winning percentage of 62.8% for his career at Mercyhurst while holding the record for the most wins in school history at 308. He has led the team to six NCAA Tournament appearances along with six seasons of 20 or more wins while having a winning record in 16 consecutive seasons and he looks to add one more notch to each of those lines while helping the Lakers claim their second PSAC West title in 2022-23.

5. Scouting Daemen

The Wildcats have two games under their belt in the 2022-23 season to this point, winning both. Senior wing Joey Atkins comes into the game feeling good as he was named the ECC Player of the Week for his efforts in week one, averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks. The team has shot the ball well to this point in the year as they hold a 46.8% FG% while nailing over 40% of their threes through two games.