Erie, Pa. - The final week of 2022 provided the Lakers with some great performances on the basketball court as this week's PPG Athletes of the Week come courtesy of the Men's and Women's Basketball teams. Grace Centrulla got it done for the Lakers in their matchup with Mansfield last Friday with Nicholas Lang following with a great performance of his own against the Mountaineers, earning both of them this week's honor.
Centrulla is named the recipient of the award for a second straight time thanks to her efforts in helping Mercyhurst grab their seventh win of the season. The sophomore forward started for the Lakers against Mansfield with her playing 15 minutes of action and scoring a game-high 18 points. The native of Cincinnati, Oh. finished 7-10 from the floor while grabbing seven rebounds and adding a block to her line. Centrulla was feeling it from long range as she went 3-4 from beyond the arc to tie her season-high set against Lake Erie and just one shy of her career-high. She hit one of those threes in the first period as she got off to a quick start, scoring the first seven points of the game for the Lakers.
Mercyhurst Women's Basketball looks to keep things rolling along in the new year as they are set to host Edinboro tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. before going on the road to face IUP at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 7th.
Nicholas Lang of Men's Basketball is named the male recipient of the honor after his performance against Mansfield last Friday. He made an impact in a myriad of ways as he played the part of stat sheet stuffer, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. The graduate student finished with a game-high in points while going 7-11 from the field, 3-7 from deep, and 2-2 from the free throw line. Much like Centrulla, Lang got hot early on as he had seven of the team's first 11 points on his way to a career day. Lang set a season-high in points with 19, assists with seven, and steals with five. His handful of takeaways tied his previous career-high; a mark he has reached twice in his career with him doing it in 2020 against IUP and then again in 2021 against Lock Haven.
The Lakers begin 2023 at home as they host Edinboro tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. before going on the road to face IUPÂ on Saturday, January 7th, at 3:00 p.m.
