MERCYHURST (12–12, 7–4 NEC) vs FDU (8–16, 5–6 NEC)
Saturday, February 7 – 3:30 p.m. EST
Bogota Savings Bank Center, Hackensack, N.J.
TV: NECFrontRow
Stats: https://fduknights.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Mercyhurst men's basketball will start a three game road trip at FDU Saturday, February 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST. at the Bogota Savings Bank Center. The Lakers will meet the Knights after most recently facing Saint Francis where they won in an overtime thriller 98-89. The Lakers have met once so far this season where they fell 67-74. Live coverage will be available on NECFrontRow.

Last Time Out
Mercyhurst most recently met NEC foe Saint Francis for the first time this season where they won in overtime 98-89.

Bernie Blunt III led the Lakers on the offensive end of the court scoring a team-high 26 points. He also grabbed two rebounds and one assist.

Qadir Martin continued to be the steady anchor for the Lakers, notching his third double-double this season. Martin packed the stat sheet, scoring 20 points, grabbing 12 boards, notching five assists, and coming up big with four blocks. On top of this stat line, he shot 90.9% from the field, making 10-11 of his attempts.

Jake Lemelman continued his tear of double-digit shooting, matching his scoreline at Chicago State scoring 21 points. Lemelman also grabbed a career high seven rebounds and two assists.

Sean Lang, Deshaun Jackson Jr., Christian Gamble, Mykolas Ivanauskas, and Kaden Fuhrmann also were helpful on both ends for the Lakers. Lang grabbed six rebounds and three assists. Jackson and Ivanauskas each grabbed five rebounds, and Gamble had four assists. Fuhrmann had eight points and three points off the bench for the Lakers.

Laker Leaders 
Bernie Blunt III is fourth in the NEC in points per game averaging 16.1. He is 11th in FG% shooting 41.4%, second in free throw% shooting 84.4%, and is seventh in 3-PT field goals per game averaging 2.0 per game.

Jake Lemelman is seventh overall in the NEC in FG% shooting 44.2% and eighth in assists averaging 3.1 per game. Lemelman is also 11th in steals averaging 1.3 per game.

Qadir Martin is first in the NEC in blocks averaging 2.5 per game and is seventh in rebounds averaging 6.5 per game. In just NEC play he sits at second overall in FG% shooting 58.8%, and sixth in rebounds averaging 6.7.

Deshaun Jackson Jr. has also gotten his name on the NEC leader board sitting at 11th in assists averaging 2.8 per game. Ivanauskas also sits on the rebounding leader board at 11th averaging 5.7 per game.

The Matchup: FDU
FDU is 8-16 overall and 5-6 in NEC action. They have found wins against Wagner, CCSU, Chicago State, Stonehill, and Mercyhurst in conference play. The Lakers and Knights met one another for their opening conference match ups, the Knights traveling to Erie and securing their first conference win in their first conference game of the 2025- 2026 season.

Eric Parnell leads the Knights in points averaging 12.4 per game and shoots 38.8% from the field and 34.8% from three.

Joey Niesman sits right behind Parnell averaging 12.1 points per game, shooting 42.6% from the field, and 36.3% from three. Niesman also leads the team in assists averaging 3.3 per game and in steals averaging 1.2 per game.

Taeshaud Jackson leads FDU in rebounds, averaging 8.5 per game, blocks, averaging 0.4 per game, and shoots 46.8% from the field and 10.1 points per game.

Cyril Martynov also leads the Knights on the court averaging 8.9 points per game, shooting 47.9% from the floor, and is second in rebounds averaging 5.4 per game

The Knights are coached by Jack Castleberry who is in his third season as head coach. The Lakers have met the Knights three times in program history and once this season. They are 2-1 overall, 1-1 at home, and 1-0 at FDU