Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball returns to their tough slate with three games set for the new week. They begin with IUP on Monday with a road trip to follow on Wednesday, February 8th, against Slippery Rock while the team rounds out the first full week of the new month with Cal (Pa.) at home on Saturday.
1. Looking Back
The Lakers played just one game last week with the team making the short trip to Edinboro to play the Fighting Scots. Mercyhurst got off to a fast start as they held a 15-point lead midway through the opening half and never looked back from there in the 81-67 win. Nicholas Lang led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds while MiyKah McIntosh was close behind at 19 points on 6-11 shooting.
2. Home Sweet Home
Two of the team's three games on the new week are set to take place inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center, where the Lakers have fared very well this season. Coach Manchel's crew has yet to lose at home this season as they hold a 10-0 record on Owen McCormick Court. It is the first time the team has had a double-digit win streak at home in a season since the 2014-15 campaign when the team won 11 straight while finishing 12-2 inside their friendly confines.
3. Scouting IUP
The Crimson Hawks are 22-0 on the season and 16-0 in conference play. They come off a 74-58 win over Gannon on Saturday, helping them collect their sixth-straight double-digit win. IUP sits in first in the PSAC West while Mercyhurst comes in right behind at 16-3 overall and 12-3 in the conference. The team is led by Shawndale Jones who averages 21.2 points per game for tops in the PSAC. As a team, IUP has proven to have the best defense in the PSAC with the lowest allowed points (58.5), field goal percentage (37.5%), and three-point percentage (28.6%) in the conference.
4. Scouting The Rock
Slippery Rock is 14-8 overall and 8-8 in the conference, sitting tied for third in the PSAC West. The team has found it tough sledding of late as they have dropped four off their last six games with their last two losses coming by double-digits. They are spearheaded by Khalid Gates and Amante Britt with both of them averaging over 14 points per game. Rebounding may prove key in the Laker's mid-week matchup with The Rock as they average 38.2 rebounds per game for fourth-most in the conference.
5. Scouting the Vulcans
Cal (Pa.) finds themselves three games back of Mercyhurst in the PSAC West standings as they are currently 7-9 in the conference and 10-12 overall, dropping each of their last two games. The Vulcans have had a tough time on the road so far this season as they are 4-8 in such games with their average margin of defeat being 12.5 points per game. What's more, the team's last five losses on the road have all come by double-digits.
