MERCYHURST (8–11, 3–3 NEC) vs NEW HAVEN (9–10, 4–2 NEC)
Friday, January 19 – 1:00 p.m. EST
The Hazell Center, West Haven, Conn.
TV: NECFrontRow
Mercyhurst will take a trip to West Haven, Conn. for the first time in program history as they face New Haven Friday in an NEC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Hazell Center. Mercyhurst will travel to meet the Chargers after their most recent NEC win where they toppled CCSU 79-61. The Lakers and Chargers will meet for the first time in program history. Both teams recently entered the Division I landscape joining the NEC but never met during their Division II timeframes. Live coverage is available on NECFrontRow.
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst most recently met top NEC contender CCSU. The Lakers dominated the court from the start, shooting 55.0% from the field and 52.9% from three, toppling the Blue Devils 79-61.
Jake Lemelman got a hot start for the Lakers, scoring 10 points in just the first six minutes of play. Lemelman scored 20 points, tallied six assists, shot 4-6 from three, and shot 61.5% from the field. His four threes were a career-high.
Bernie Blunt III also led the Lakers in points scoring 20 and grabbing five rebounds.
Qadir Martin led the Lakers in rebounds and secured his second double-double of the season in the matchup. Martin scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, shooting 51.3% from the field and picking up a career high four assists.
Laker Leaders
Bernie Blunt III is third in the NEC in points per game averaging 16.2. He is eighth in FG% shooting 43.4%, second in free throw% shooting 83.5%, and is eighth in 3-PT field goals per game averaging 1.9.
Jake Lemelman is ninth in the NEC in FG% shooting 42.9%. He is eighth in assists averaging 3.1 per game and seventh in steals averaging 1.4 per game.
Qadir Martin is first in the NEC in blocks averaging 2.5 per game and is eighth in rebounds averaging 6.5 per game.
The Matchup: New Haven
New Haven enters Friday's matchup with a 9-10 overall record and 4-2 mark in NEC play, making waves in their inaugural year in Division I. The Chargers opened their NEC debut at Stonehill, where they picked up their first Division I conference win with a score of 70-55. Throughout their first conference games thus far, they have only found losses against Le Moyne and CCSU.
The Chargers played a competitive non-conference schedule, opening their Division I debut at NO. 4 UConn where they fell 55-79. They followed this match up playing Colombia and Penn State. They found their first win of the season at UMass Lowell where they won 73-67. Throughout their non-conference schedule, they also met contenders like Fordham, NO. 11 Vanderbilt, Seton Hall, and Boston College. They currently sit at fourth in the NEC.
Junior guard Jabri Fitzpatrick leads the Chargers in points per game averaging 11.8. Fitzpatrick also leads the Chargers in assists averaging 2.4 per game, and steals averaging 1.8 per game.
Andre Pasha is also a leader for the Chargers, averaging 9.7 points per game and shooting 45.7% from the field. He also is a team leader in threes, shooting 35%, blocks, averaging 0.6 per game, and rebounds averaging 4.9 per game.
Najimi George and Stefano Faloppa also lead the Chargers on the stat sheet. George averages 10.9 points, and 1.9 assists per game. Faloppa shoots 55.0% from the field, averages a team high 5.3 rebounds per game, and averages 7.6 points per game.
