Erie, PA- Despite dropping their last two PSAC matchup's, the Mercyhurst Women's Basketball team remains confident heading into the final week of the regular season. Sitting in 5th place in the West, the Lakers hope to sweep the week and earn a home playoff game. Mercyhurst will begin the week by traveling to Clarion University on Wednesday, February 28th. They will then finish out the regular season at home as they host Slippery Rock on Saturday, March 2nd. Mercyhurst is currently 16-10 overall and 12-8 in conference play.
Scouting Clarion
Clarion comes into the matchup with an overall record of 1-25 and a conference record of 1-19. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Golden Eagles fell to the Lakers 63-55. Clarion is led by Autumn Taylor, who averages 10.9 points a game. Taylor also ranks in the top three in assists and rebounds per game. Earning their first win of the season less than a week ago, Clarion hosts Mercyhurst with more confidence than they have had all year.
Scouting Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock has also had a down year, posting a 2-21 record. Mercyhurst got the best of the Rock earlier in the season, and they will now look for a season sweep on Saturday. Currently getting outscored by 19 points on average, the Rock has struggled to slow down opposing offensives. Reagan Atkins has been a bright spot for Slippery Rock this year, averaging 15.4 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds. Kristina Donza also averages double digits for the Rock.
Laker Outlook
Bailey Kuhns leads all Laker scorers with 14.5 points per game. She has scored double digits in all but 5 games this year. She is complimented by Danielle Grim, who is a complete guard, both scoring and rebounding the ball. Grim is coming off a double-double against Cal. U, which was her 5th this year. As a team, Mercyhurst posts a +4.0-scoring margin and shoots 41% from the field. Their top 10 defense will look to lock in as they finish out the regular season.
Up Next:
Mercyhurst will wait to see their final standing as we approach the PSAC tournament. If the Lakers finish within the top 4, they will earn themselves a home game in the opening round.
