#2 MERCYHURST (15-15, 14-4 NEC) vs #3 LIU (20-10, 14-4 NEC)
Thursday, March 12 – 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
After securing their first Division I playoff win Monday, the Mercyhurst women's basketball team moves on to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament to take on #3 LIU at the Mercyhurst Athletics Center. The Lakers and the Sharks split the regular season series 1-1 with the road team earning a win in each contest.
The Opponent
LIU finished the regular season with a 20-10 overall and a 14-4 NEC record. The Sharks took down #6 Chicago State in the quarterfinal round in a high-scoring affair, 99-77. Three Sharks scored 20 or more in the victory with Kadidia Toure and Kionna Gaines both recording double-doubles. The Sharks shot a scorching 53 percent from the floor and 56 percent from beyond the arc.
Kadidia Toure enters the postseason as the NEC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Toure averaged 18.8 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds in NEC play.
Last Time Out
The Lakers earned their first ever NEC Tournament win against Stonehill Monday evening, 70-64. Mercyhurst went down by as many as 11 in the first half, but surged in the second stanza to cut the deficit to just four at the half.
The Lakers outscored the Skyhawks in the second half 43-33 to advance to the semifinals round.
Series History
The Lakers split the regular season series with the Sharks, winning one on the road Feb. 21 and dropping one at home Jan. 8.
Cici Hernandez and
Jenna Van Schaik each contributed 17 points in the Lakers 58-55 win in Brooklyn. Hernandez added six rebounds and four assists.
Kadidia Toure had 29 points in the first meeting of the season and 26 in the second meeting.
Winning Close Games
The Lakers are 9-3 in games decided by six points or less, including 2-0 in the last two games in which they won by six.
Charity Stripe
Despite allowing Stonehill to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the quarterfinals, the Lakers found a way to pull out a win. The difference came at the charity stripe where the Lakers took 19 attempts to the Skyhawks seven. Mercyhurst got to the line 29 times against Le Moyne in the regular season finale and a season-high 32 times in a win at Wagner.
Protecting the Ball
Mercyhurst has one of the best turnover margins in the NEC. The Lakers are +2.0 overall and +5.2 in conference play. The Lakers turned the ball over 36 times in the season opener at Michigan State. Since then, the Lakers have had six games with 10 or fewer turnovers, including one with just four giveaways.
Rookie of the Year
Sofia Wilson was named the NEC Rookie of the Year. Wilson had an excellent season for the Lakers, averaging 13.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in NEC play. She won five Rookie of the Week honors during the season and helped the Lakers to the two seed in the NEC Tournament.
Most Improved Player
Cici Hernandez was named the NEC's Most Improved Player. Hernandez significantly improved in every major stat category. She jumped from 6.2 points per game in 2025 to 14.2 in 2026 while also improving her efficiency from 37.1 percent to 42.
Winning Percentage
Mercyhurst has secured their best conference winning percentage since the 2016-17 season. The Lakers finished with a 14-4 record for a 77.7 winning percentage, besting their 77.2 percent clip in 2016-17 when they went 17-5 in PSAC play.
