MERCYHURST (13-15, 13-4 NEC) vs LE MOYNE (11-19, 9-8)
Thursday, March 4 – 6:00 p.m.
Mercyhurst Athletics Center
TV: NEC Front Row
 
The Mercyhurst women's basketball team is set to play their final regular season game Thursday at the Mercyhurst Athletics Center, hosting Le Moyne. Mercyhurst scored its first win of the 2025-26 season at Le Moyne Jan. 4, 89-72.
 
The Opponent
Le Moyne comes into Thursday regular season finale with a 9-8 NEC record and 11-19 overall.
 
Ashley Buragas leads the Dolphins in scoring, averaging 12.9 points per contest. Sierra Linnin is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NEC, averaging 2.1 makes per game.
 
The Dolphins are one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league, making 81.3 percent of their shots from the charity stripe in league play.
 
Le Moyne owns a top three field goal percentage defense in the league, holding teams to 37 percent from the floor and 30 percent from deep in NEC play.
 
Last Time Out
The Lakers ride a five-game winning streak into Thursday's game after taking down Stonehill, 68-55 on senior day. Cici Hernandez went off for eight 3-pointers and 24 points. Jenna Van Schaik added 18 points while Erica Hall and Sofia Wilson chipped in 10 a piece.
 
Wilson added five assists and five steals to go along with her 10 points.
Playoff Picture
Mercyhurst has clinched home court advantage for the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament. The Lakers can rise to the two seed with a win, unless LIU beats Wagner and Chicago State beats Stonehill. In that case, the 2 seed would go to LIU with the higher NET ranking.
 
Win Out 
Mercyhurst has the chance to secure their best conference winning percentage since the 2016-17 season with wins in their final three games. If  the Lakers win out in the regular season, they would finish 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.
The Lakers sit at 12-4 coming into the final three games, a 0.75 winning percentage.
 
Series History 
When the Lakers and the Dolphins met in January, Mercyhurst shot the lights out, scoring a season-high 89 points. The Lakers made 28-of-61 attempts from the floor, including 15 3-point makes. Five Lakers reached double-figures in the first win of the season.
 
60 is the Magic Number
 Over the last three seasons, the Lakers are 38-15 when scoring 60 or more points in game. When held below 60, the Lakers are 5-30.
 
Marching into the Postseason
 The Lakers are winners in 12 of their last 14 games and five in a row. Mercyhurst is averaging 71.8 points per game over the last five games while holding opponents to just over 60 points.
 
Beyond the Arc
 Cici Hernandez averages 2.9 3-pointers per game, tied for 16th most in the nation. In NEC play, she's been even better, making 3.4 per contest.
 
Next Woman Up
 Cici Hernandez (17.2), Jenna Van Schaik (14.5), Sofia Wilson (13.7), and Lena Walz (10.0) 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.