Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst men's basketball begins the 2024 portion of their season schedule this week with a pair of games on the docket with Bloomsburg coming to town on Wednesday, January 3rd, before a bout with Pitt-Johnstown on the 6th in a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.
Looking Back
Mercyhurst is 6-7 to this point in the season while going 2-3 in conference play after a four-point loss as the hands of Shepherd on December 30th. The Lakers are now tied for fourth in the PSAC West alongside Pitt-Johnstown and Slippery Rock while Cal (Pa.) sits at the top with Gannon and IUP to follow. Coach Manchel and company began their season in Florida in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic where they played a pair of top 25 teams. From there, they grabbed their first two wins of the season over Frostburg State and Bluefield State. The team has been able to find their groove over their recent stretch of games, winning three of their last five contests with one of those wins being a historic one against Fredonia in which Mercyhurst allowed only 24 points for the fewest in program history.
Laker Leaders
Coming into the new year, Jeff Planutis is the team's leading scorer with 17.5 points per game which is good enough for 11th in the conference. He is followed by Sean Fullerton with 11.8 and Aidan Reichert with 11.5 per game. Reichert has been best on the boards, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game while Planutis once again is the team leader in both assists (2.7) and steals (1.5) per game. Fullerton has been the top shooter on the team, recording a team-high in field goal percentage (55.4) and three-point percentage (46.2) while Christian Gamble's 18-19 effort from the line has his 94.7% free throw percentage in the lead.
Scouting Bloomsburg
The Huskies are 2-9 to this point in the season while holding a 0-5 record in conference play for last in the PSAC East. Bloomsburg has found it tough sledding of late as they have lost each of their last seven games with the team dropping six of those by double-digits. The team finds themselves still in search of their first win on the road as well, going 0-5 to this point and hoping to begin the new year on a high note. The Huskies have four scorers who average double figures with Jake Nelson's 15.5 being the most, sitting in 14th in the PSAC while his 60.2 field goal percentage is third, making him a strong force inside.
Scouting the Mountain Cats
Pitt-Johnstown holds a record of 4-7 going into the new year, going 2-3 in the PSAC to this point. December did not go the way they had hoped as the Mountain Cats went 2-4 in that time and look to get the new year started off on the right foot. They'll hope to take a game against Shippensburg on the 3rd before making their way to Erie against a 5-5 Raiders team. The Lakers will look to make sure they do not give up easy points as the line as UPJ is shooting the best percentage from the charity stripe of any team in the PSAC, going 129-157 (82.2%).
Next Game
Mercyhurst goes on the road for their next matchup as they are set to see IUP on Wednesday, January 10th in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off before coming back home for one game the following Wednesday against Edinboro.
