MERCYHURST (9-15, 9-4 NEC) at WAGNER (11-13, 7-6 NEC)
Thursday, Feb. 19 – 7:00 p.m.
Staten Island, N.Y.
 
MERCYHURST (9-15, 9-4 NEC) at LIU (16-8, 11-2 NEC)
Saturday, Feb. 21 – 2:00 p.m.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
 
The Mercyhurst women's basketball team makes the trip to the Big Apple for a pair of road games, first taking on Wagner then traveling to LIU Saturday.

Thursday's contest on Staten Island will be streamed on ESPN+ while Saturday's game at LIU is on NEC Front Row.

Mercyhurst picked up a win over Wagner over a month ago in Erie, winning 69-66 on Jan. 10 at the Mercyhurst Athletics Center. The Lakers fell to LIU two days prior in a high-scoring affair, 86-81.
 
Last Time Out
The Lakers took care of Saint Francis Saturday, 85-61. They were on fire from beyond the arc, sinking 18 3-pointers as a team while Lena Walz drained a career-high eight from deep.
The Lakers found their teammates well, assisting on 25 of 28 field goals.
 
NEC Prime Performers
Lena Walz and Cici Hernandez were dubbed NEC Prime Performers for their efforts against SFU.
 
Walz scored 26 points, added eight rebounds, and dished out three assists. Hernandez added 16 points, five assists, and five rebounds in the win. 
 
Ranking Nationally
Mercyhurst is ninth nationally in 3-point makes per game (9.4) tied with Connecticut and Montana.
 
Mercyhurst leads the NEC in 3-point makes, both overall and in conference play (10.5). Mercyhurst is also leading the league in 3-point FG percentage at 37.6 during league play.
 
Cici Hernandez is the NEC leader in 3-point makes per game (3.3) and 3-point shooting percentage (41.3).
 
Next Woman Up
Cici Hernandez (17.2), Sofia Wilson (14.2), Jenna Van Schaik (12.5) and Lena Walz (10.9) are all in the top 20 in scoring since NEC play began. No other school has more than two players in the top 20 in scoring. Hernandez, Wilson, and Van Schaik are all in the top-10 with Hernandez ranking second in the league.
 
Sharing the Rock
Mercyhurst's 25 assists Saturday vs. Saint Francis are the most since the Lakers posted 25 against Miles in the 2020-21 season. Jenna Van Schaik led the team with seven helpers, tying her career-high set last season at Toledo.
 
Wilson (4.0) and Van Schaik (3.8) are second and  third respectively in the NEC in assists per game.
 
Taking Care of the Ball
The Lakers have the best turnover margin (4.8) and assist to turnover ratio (1.2) in the NEC and are averaging the fewest turnovers per contest among (12.2). The Lakers posted a season-low four turnovers at FDU Saturday. It's the fewest turnovers in a game since at least the 2011-12 season.
 
Mercyhurst has five games with 10 or fewer turnovers this season. Its the most games with 10 or fewer turnovers since the 2018-19 season when they did it in seven games.
 
60 is the Magic Number
Over the last three seasons, the Lakers are 29-15 went scoring 60 or more points in game. When held below 60, the Lakers are 4-30.
 
The Opponent - Wagner
The Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the league, allowing just 54.2 points per contest; however, the offense averaged 55 points per game, ninth in the NEC.

Wagner owns the worst free throw percentage in the league at 63.3 percent, while taking the third most attempts at the line in conference play.

Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per contest. The duo of Doyinsola Modesayor and Irene Fernandez de Caleya combine for 13.7 rebounds per game during NEC play and both rank in the top 10 individually.
 
The Opponent – LIU
The Sharks currently sit in second in the NEC with an 11-2 mark in conference play. Their two losses came at the hands of FDU and Wagner. LIU enters the week on a five-game winning streak, set to take on Saint Francis Thursday night in Brooklyn.
 
Kadidia Toure leads the NEC in scoring and rebounding with 18.3 points per game and 9.8 rebounds. The senior forward has nine double-doubles on the year, including three in the last three games.