MERCYHURST (15–16, 10-8 NEC) vs FDU (11–20, 8–10 NEC)
Wednesday, March 4 – 7:00 p.m. EST
Mercyhurst Athletic Center, Erie, Pa
TV: NECFrontRow

Mercyhurst will get their first taste of Division I March Madness Wednesday, March 4 as they host the Knights of FDU in their first NEC playoff appearance. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST. The Lakers will meet the Knights for the third time this season, the Lakers most recently coming off a road win at Stonehill that secured them the third seed in NEC standings. Live coverage will be available on NECFrontRow.

The Opponent
The Knights enter Wednesday's matchup 11-20 overall and 8-10 in NEC play. 

Joey Niesman leads the Knights in points averaging 12.3 points per game, shooting 41.7% from the field, and 35.2% from three. Niesman also leads the team in assists averaging 3.3 per game and in steals averaging 1.2 per game.

Eric Parnell also leads the Knights in points averaging 10.9 per game and shooting 37.2% from the field and 33.3% from three.

Taeshaud Jackson leads FDU in rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game, blocks, averaging 0.5 per game, and shoots 46.4% from the field and averages 10.5 points per game.

Cyril Martynov also leads the Knights on the court averaging 8.0 points per game, shooting 53.2% from the floor, and is second in rebounds averaging 5.4 per game.

Last Time Out
Mercyhurst most recently met Stonehill Saturday, February 28 as they traveled to New England to wrap up the regular season. The Lakers and Skyhawks went into overtime for the second time this season, the Lakers sneaking by this time to secure the win 75-72.

Bernie Blunt III led the team in points scoring 24. He also grabbed four steals, dished one assist, and grabbed three rebounds. Blunt III continued his efficient shooting at the free throw line going 13-14 from the charity stripe.

Jake Lemelman scored 20 points in the matchup, dished two assists, and had three rebounds. Most notably, he went 3-4 from three and 5-5 from the free throw line.

Qadir Martin continued to pace the Lakers on both ends of the court scoring 12 points and grabbing seven boards. Martin also had three blocks.

Sean Lang came up big defensively grabbing a season-high and team-high 11 boards and dishing three assists.

Deshaun Jackson Jr. also came up big for the Lakers matching Martin's seven rebounds and dishing a team-high four assists.

Scoring Spree
Despite the Lakers averaging just 60 points per game until late January, they have found themselves scoring at least 75 points in their last five matchups.

Down to the Wire
The Lakers know how to put on a show. 14 out of 18 conference games this season have been withing nine points or less. 11 out of 18 conference game have been within four points or less, and eight out 18 conference games have been within one possession. 

Money Martin
Forward Qadir Martin has been on a tear in the last four games for the Lakers. He has scored 18+ points and secured 5+ rebounds in four out of his last five appearances. 

Martin is also an NCAA leader in blocks. Martin sits in the top ten in Division I in blocks with 72 on the season, and top 15 in blocks per game averaging 2.7.

Martin sits at the top of the leader board in field goal percentage in the NEC  shooting 58.3% from the field. Martin's performance this season landed him a spot on the All-NEC Defensive team.

Bernie Buckets
Bernie Blunt III paved the way for the Lakers this season, leading the team in points per game, threes per game, field goals per game, and free throw percentage. His performance landed him on the All-NEC First Team. 

Blunt III ended the regular season averaging 17.4 points per game, putting him third in the NEC overall. Blunt III is second in the NEC in free throws, making 86.5% of shots from the charity stripe. Blunt III garnered a 41.6% field goal percentage, shot 34.8% from beyond the arc, and averaged 2.3 assists per game and 1.2 steals.

Leader Lemelman
Jake Lemelman has shown up big in his second year with the Lakers, leading the Lakers and earning spots on the NEC leader board. Lemelman sits at ninth overall in scoring and field goal percentage in the NEC averaging 13.9 points per game and shooting 43.6% from the field. Lemelman also sits at eighth in assists averaging 3.1 per game and is 13th in steals averaging 1.2. His performances this season landed him a spot on the All-NEC third team.

A Look at the Series
The Lakers are 2-2 all time against the Knights. In their first season in the NEC, the Lakers swept the Knights going 2-0. In their second season, the script has flipped, the Knights being the only NEC team to sweep the Lakers this season. The Lakers are 1-1 both on the road and at home.