MERCYHURST (6–9, 1–1 NEC) vs LIU (8–7, 2–0 NEC)
Thursday, January 8 – 7:00 p.m. EST
Steinberg Wellness Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
TV: NECFrontRow

The Mercyhurst Lakers will continue conference play on the road this week in the big apple as they take on the Sharks of LIU. Thursday's matchup will mark the third meeting between the Sharks and the Lakers and the Lakers second appearance in Brooklyn. The match will be streamed on NECFrontRow.
 
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst played their second home contest of the weekend Sunday as they hosted Le Moyne. They found their first conference win as a strong second half lifted them over the Dolphins 74-60.

The Lakers shot 43.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. They controlled the court on both ends, 16 points coming from turnovers and notching 39 rebounds.

Laker Looks
Mercyhurst continues to be led offensively by graduate guard Bernie Blunt III, who is averaging 16.5 points per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 39.8% beyond the arc. Blunt III led the Lakers in points against the Dolphins with 18. His performance earned him his fourth NEC Prime Performer honor.

Sophomore guard Jake Lemelman also continues to lead the Lakers averaging 12.5 points and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 41.0% from the field and 34.4% from three. He scored 15 points against Le Moyne.

Qadir Martin made his presence known against the Sharks. Martin scored 9 points and secured 7 rebounds against the Sharks. He currently leads the
Lakers in rebounds averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.

Mykolas Ivanauskas continues to be a steady anchor for the Lakers shooting 56.0% from the field and garnering 5.5 rebounds per game. He played a big role against Le Moyne as he grabbed 7 rebounds and was 5-7 from the field scoring 10 points.
 
Christian Gamble also was a major helper for the Lakers as he went 4-4 on free throws and tallied 11 points while James Thomas earned a career high 8 rebounds.

As a team, Mercyhurst averages 14.53  assists per game and forces 13.9  turnovers per contest, while also posting 4.1 blocks and 8.1 steals per game on the defensive end. The Lakers sit at number one in the NEC for turnover margin with +3.1 and are second in turnovers only allowing 10.87 turnovers per game.
 
The Matchup: LIU

LIU is led by head coach Rod Strickland. In his first four seasons leading the Sharks he has posted a 35-71 record.

The Sharks are second in the NEC in average points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. They average 76.9 points per game, shooting 48.1% from the field and 37.4% from three.

Defensively, the Sharks rank first in the NEC with blocks per game with 5.0 and are second in steals with 8.3 per game.

Jamal Fuller leads the team in average points per game with 16.2. He averages a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game and shoots 52.4% from the field and 49.1% from three.

Greg Gordon sits at the top of LIU's leaderboard in field goal percentage shooting averaging 55.9%. He averages 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

The Sharks are tied with the Lakers in assists average, tallying 14.53 assists per game. average 15.3 assists per game. Malachi Davis leads the Sharks in assists averaging 3.7 per game.

The Lakers are 1-1 overall when meeting the Dolphins.