Erie, Pa.—The No. 20/23 Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team looks to continue trending in the right direction as they take on Erie rival Gannon Wednesday night on Owen McCormick Court.
Fans are asked to help "white"-out the Mercyhurst Athletic Center for Wednesday's game, which will be featured locally on the CW Network.
The Matchup
Gannon is 53-29 all-time against the Lakers in their series dating back to 1974. In recent years, the Lakers have won the last seven meetings between the teams, the longest streak for either team since they began playing each other. The Golden Knights were Mercyhurst's first opponents in 2022, and the Lakers walked away with a 68-63 victory.
Back in the Right Direction
After slipping in the national polls over the last few weeks, a pair of wins over Seton Hill and Clarion last week helped the Lakers move from No. 25 to No. 20 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches national poll. The Lakers also found themselves back in the top 25 of the Division II Sports Information Directors of America national media poll, coming in at No. 23 nationally and No. 5 on D2SIDA's Atlantic Region poll.
On Wednesday, We Wear White
High attendance is expected for Wednesday's games, so fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by clicking here. Fans can also purchase tickets via phone by calling 814-824-2560. Fans are reminded that everyone is required to wear a mask while inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
The Mercyhurst SAAC also encourages fans to wear white to support the Lakers. The organization will be passing out "whiteout" shirts to the first 700 fans in the MAC lobby as well.
Can't Make it to the MAC?
Mercyhurst University and Lilly Broadcasting are partnering to showcase Wednesday's women's and men's games on the CW Network (Spectrum: Channel 3 or 1003, Dish Network: Channel 3 or 7048, DirecTV: Channel 36, and 35.2 over-the-air).
Lilly Broadcasting viewers reach the tri-state area with Erie County, Crawford County and Warren County being the primary viewing areas. Fans outside of the televised area will still be able to view the game on the Mercyhurst Sports Network.
Scouting the Golden Knights
Gannon sits in the middle of the pack in the PSAC West with a 9-6 conference record (12-7 overall). The Golden Knights are winners of three of their last four games. Their most recent win came against Pitt-Johnstown on Monday, whom they edged out 67-66 in regulation. Gannon has four players averaging in the double-digits in points: Lance-Amir Paul (18.2), Ike Herster (16.2), Braden Olsen (11.1) and Demetrius Mims (10.9).
