Erie, Pa – Mercyhurst Women's Basketball begins PSAC West competition on Wednesday, January 4th at 5:30 p.m. as they take on Edinboro at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers follow that with a road game against currently undefeated IUP on Saturday, January 7th to kick off 2023.
1. PSAC West
The Lakers begin the conference stretch this Wednesday and are set to play every PSAC West team twice for the rest of the regular season. IUP leads the standings with 10-0 overall record, and 5-0 in the conference. They are followed by Edinboro and Pitt-Johnstown with a 4-1 conference record each in PSAC play. Gannon, Slippery Rock, Cal (Pa.), and Mercyhurst are all tied for the fourth spot with a 3-2 conference mark. This season is set to be very intense as the competition seems balanced across the board, and there are multiple dangerous teams in the league. Every remaining game might be important for the playoff seeding at the end of the regular season. The Lakers are looking to start the new year well and climb up the PSAC West standings.
2. Individual Leaders
Mercyhurst has showcased a team-oriented brand of basketball with multiple players capable of catching fire and taking over a game. Julia Buchman leads the team with 11.5 points per game on 46% shooting and an impressive 42% from three. Grace Centrulla is right behind her with 11.4 points per game. They are helped by Jayde Boyd with 10.2 points, and Danielle Grim, scorer of 9.3 per contest. Grim is also leads the Lakers on defense as she recorded team-high 10 blocks and 19 steals so far this season. Centrulla and freshman Bailey Kuhns work hard to clean the glass as they average 5.8 and 4.7 rebounds per contest while Centrulla also has eight rejections.
3. Team Stats
The Lakers score 79.5 points per game on 44.5% from the field and an impressive 39% from three. They also take pride in playing good defense, as they average 3.2 blocks per game and force their opponents to 18.6 turnovers per game. The Lakers turn their opponent's mistakes into offense, averaging 19 points off turnovers per contest. The Lakers are a well-balanced team with a lot of depth as multiple players can come off the bench and make a difference on the court. Their last game against Mansfield was a great example of that as 14 players got valuable playing time and all of them scored the ball for the Lakers.
4. Scouting EdinboroÂ
The Fighting Scots are coming into Wednesday's game full of confidence, as they have won their last four games. In their last match of 2022, Edinboro defeated Bloomsburg by a score of 85-70. Point guard Rana Elhusseini leads the charge with 19.2 points, 6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. She is followed by Hayley Sims with 16.2 points on 41% shooting.
5. Scouting IUP
The Eagles managed to stay undefeated through the first part of the season and boast an impressive 10-0 record. Despite losing multiple players after last season, they have found a way to win despite basing their whole game on their starters. IUP has five players that average over 30 minutes of playing time per game. Kiera Baughman leads the charge with 17 points per contest, and she is helped by Maria Cerro with 13.3 and Alana Cardona with 12.9. Stopping their starters will be the key to winning the game on Saturday, January 7th.
