Erie, Pa – Mercyhurst Women's Basketball readies for their first home game of the season as they are scheduled to take on Roberts Wesleyan on Tuesday, November 29th, at 5:30. This contest serves as a makeup after the two teams had to postpone the matchup previously scheduled for November 19th, delaying the Laker's home opener of the 2022-23 season and their senior day.
1. Making History
The Lakers are coming off a historic win against Buffalo, as they defeated the reigning MAC champions by a score of 70-68 in an exhibition last Tuesday. Mercyhurst showcased great team-oriented offense and solid defense, as they contained plays well and forced 12 turnovers from their DI opponents. Buchman led the charge for the Lakers with 19 points and she was helped by
Grace Centrulla with 17 and
Ava Waid, scorer of 16. In the last play of the game, Buffalo tried to go inside but Centrulla was right there and had two spectacular blocks in a row to secure the win for Mercyhurst.
2. Individual Leaders
Danielle Grim has led the charge so far with 17.5 points per game on 56% shooting from the field, followed by
Jayde Boyd with 16.5 while
Julia Buchman averages 11.7 and
Ava Waid scores 9.7 points per game. Freshman
Bailey Kuhns leads the team in rebounds with six per game, as
Grace Centrulla and
Lexi Wagner both average five to follow. The Lakers are a well-balanced team with multiple scoring options and depth, as any player can catch fire and lead the team to victory.
3. New Faces
The Lakers introduced a plethora of new players, with three incoming freshmen and two transfers.
Lexi Wagner is a graduate student, that came from Youngstown State, and has already established herself as one of the most lethal scorers on the team as she scored 15 points in the exhibition against Kent State.
Danielle Grim is the other of the two transfers, also hailing from a DI school as she comes to Mercyhurst from Long Island. Grim started the season with two great games, where she showcased her lethal jumper. The Lakers also welcomed three freshman players:
Sophie Kelly,
Bailey Kuhns, and
Jenna Van Schaik. Kuhns is already making a great impact on both sides of the floor, as she started the game against Tiffin, and recorded eight points.
4. Previous Matchup
The two teams have met only once before as the Lakers defeated Roberts Wesleyan by the score of 55-42 during the 2020-21 season.
Nicolette Arnold led the charge with 15 points and she was helped by Cenrulla with a double-double as she scored 14 points and recorded 10 rebounds. The Lakers are hoping to repeat that outcome on Tuesday, and stay undefeated against the Hawks.
5. Scouting Report
Roberts Wesleyan sits 1-3 on the year to this point after a loss against Lake Erie last week. In the early going, Georgia Haverlock has been the go-to scorer for the Hawks as she has averaged a team-high 15.0 points per game while grabbing 7.8 rebounds. She is helped by Grace Galgano with 12.5 points and Danielle DiCintio with 12.3. The Hawks have been struggling from the distance as they average 29% from three. They also recorded 68 turnovers so far, for an average of 16.8 per game.
