Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball looks to win a pair of games in back-to-back days as they are set to host Roberts Wesleyan and Alliance University during the week. The Lakers begin with Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday, December 14th, at 5:00 p.m. with Alliance to follow the next day with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.
1. Change of Plans
Mercyhurst was originally scheduled to play Alliance last weekend with the two teams set to battle on Friday, December 9th. Due to health concerns for the Warriors, the game was rescheduled with the Lakers now set to host Alliance nearly one week later.
2. Favored History
The Lakers have had a good run of luck against Roberts Wesleyan and Alliance in the past as Mercyhurst is 8-1 all-time against the two teams. They hold a record of 7-1 against the Redhawks with their lone loss coming during the 2016-17 season when Roberts Wesleyan won 74-69. Since then, Mercyhurst has gone 4-0 with their average margin of victory being 34.8 points per game and have won each of those games by 30 points or more. Mercyhurst has played Alliance only once in a neutral site contest at Shippensburg on November 20, 2010, with the Lakers coming away victorious 63-53.
3. Coming in Hot
Jeff Planutis comes into the contests feeling good as he has had some very solid performances of late. The senior guard has scored 20 or more points in three straight games, leading the Lakers in points in all three contests. Over that span, Planutis has shot 19-34 (55.9%) from the floor, 5-9 (55.5%) from three, and 21-22 (95.5%) from the free throw line. In his last game against D'Youville, the native of Hazleton, Pa. tied a season-high in points with 22 in just 22 minutes, going 8-10 from the floor while making all five of his free throw attempts as he has found his groove here in the early going of the 2022-23 season.
4. Playing Stout
The Laker's defense has proven to be one of the better ones in the PSAC here in the early part of the season. Mercyhurst's opponents are scoring just 66.3 points per game for the fourth lowest in the conference. Teams are shooting under 40% from the field at 39.6 against Mercyhurst so far with that being the second lowest in the PSAC. The team's defense against three-point shots has also been great as they're third in the conference in opponent three-point % at 29.7.
5. Scouting the Opponents
Roberts Wesleyan comes into the game 3-6 on the season with their last game being a loss to Molloy by a final of 77-69. The Redhawks have found it tough sledding on the road so far in 2022 with a record of 1-3 in away games while their lone win came against Queens College on December 9th. Roberts Wesleyan features three players scoring in double-digits with Malik Brooks leading the way with 13.7 points per game on 55.1% shooting.
Alliance is currently 4-7 on the year and is currently riding a six-game losing streak with five of those games seeing double-digit deficits. They also have struggled on the road, going 2-6 in away games. Their top performer has been Isayas Aris who leads the team in points per game (16.7) and rebounds (10.6) while coming in second in field goal % (57.7).
