Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball hits the road for just the second time in 2023 this Wednesday, January 18th, when they travel to take on Cal (Pa.). The Lakers put their 11-2 record on the line against the Vulcans as Head Coach Gary Manchel and company look for their third win in a row.
1. A Look Back
Over the course of the two team's history, Mercyhurst has been the better team with a 16-8 record against the Vulcans. The Lakers won seven straight at one point from the 2013-14 season to the 15-16 campaign. Cal has gotten the better of the last two matchups, winning 87-71 and 79-76 so Mercyhurst looks to snap their current losing skid. The Lakers haven't fared quite as well when in enemy territory, going 6-6 all-time with their last road win against Cal coming in the 2018-19 season when Mercyhurst won 90-55 for their largest win ever over the Vulcans.
2. Mid-Week Warriors
Mercyhurst has played five games on a Wednesday so far in the 2022-23 season with them coming out on top in each of those contests. All but one of those games have been at home with the season-opening 62-61 win over Daemen being the only one on the road. The Lakers have blown out the majority of their opponents in their Wednesday matchups with the average margin of victory being 26.2 points per game while they have allowed 60 points or more in only one of those games.
3. Road Ready
The Lakers have gone into enemy territory of late and fared very well, going 15-5 in their last 20 away games. So far this season, they are 3-2 on the road with an 11-3 mark a year ago. Of those 15 wins, seven have been by double-digits as coach Manchel's crew shows themselves unaffected by the opposing crowd. They'll hope to stonewall the Vulcan's fans as they look to continually climb the PSAC standings.
4. Walking Bucket
Jeff Planutis scored 23 points in the team's 81-51 win over Slippery Rock last Saturday, giving him his season-high while recording his fifth 20-point game of the season. He becomes just the fourth player to do so over the past five years, joining Jason Massey who did so in 2018-19, Steven Cannady in 2021-22, and MiyKah McIntosh in 2019-20 and 2021-22. So far this season, Planutis is averaging a team-high 15.1 points per game on 47.2% shooting from the floor, 44.2% from three, and a conference-best 92.5% from the free throw line.
5. Scouting Cal
The Vulcans are 7-8 on the year and 4-5 in the conference with wins in each of their last two games. They defeated Edinboro at home 78-63 last Wednesday and beat Gannon on the road 83-66 on Saturday and now look for the Erie area trifecta with a win over the Lakers. Cal's offense has proven to be one of the better ones in the PSAC this season with the team averaging 81.9 points per game for second-best in the conference. They have five players averaging double-digit points with Keith Palek III leading the way with 18.7 per contest which checks in at third in the conference.
