MERCYHURST (16–16, 10-8 NEC) vs STONEHILL (12–20, 8–10 NEC)
Saturday, March 7– 12:00 p.m. EST
Mercyhurst Athletic Center, Erie, Pa
TV: ESPN+

• The Matchup
The Mercyhurst men's basketball team got their first taste of Division I March Madness Wednesday, March 4 as they hosted the Knights of FDU in their first NEC playoff appearance. The fun didn't stop at the quarterfinals as they Lakers overcame the Knights 70-61 to move onto the NEC semifinals. Two upset wins in the conference by Wagner and Stonehill put the Lakers in the position to host the Stonehill Skyhawks on their home court. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST. Saturday, March 7. The Lakers will meet the Skyhawks for the third time this season, most recently seeing them just one week ago where they found a road win and secured the third seed in NEC standings. Live coverage will be available on ESPN+.

• The Opponent
The Skyhawks are 12-20 overall and 8-10 in the NEC this season. They are led by head coach Chris Kraus who is in his 13th season with the Skyhawks.

The Skyhawks are led in points by Davante Hackett who averages 13.4 points per game. Not far behind him is Hermann Koffi who averages 13.1. Hackett shoots 42.3% from the field, while Koffi shoots 40.6% from the field.Koffi also leads the Skyhawks in threes shooting 37.7% and minutes averaging 35.4 per game.

Chas Stinson and Ridva Tutic also lead the Skyhawks in field goal percentage, with Stinson shooting 46.4%, while Tutic shoots 59.3%. Tutic and Stinson also lead the Skyhawks in 
rebounds with Tutic averaging 7.8 per game and Stinson averaging 5.5.

Rex Sunderland leads Stonehill in assists averaging 3.3 assists per game and steals averaging 1.1 per game.

• Last Time Out
Mercyhurst most recently met the Knights of FDU for  their first NEC post-season quarterfinal Wednesday, March 4, where they won 70-61.

Bernie Blunt III led the team in points scoring 20 and rebounds grabbing seven. He also dished out one assist.

Jake Lemelman also scored 20 points in the matchup, and dished out four assists.

Qadir Martin continued to pace the Lakers on both ends of the court scoring 11 points and grabbing six boards. Martin also recorded five blocks.

Deshaun Jackson Jr., Cameron Johnson, and Mykolas Ivanauskas also showed up big for the Lakers. Jackson

 Jr. went 3-4 from the floor with six points, grabbed three rebounds, dished four assists, and had one steal. Johnson scored seven points, going 2-2 from the field, 1-1 from three, and 2-2 from the free throw line. Ivanauskas grabbed six boards for the Lakers, dished one assist, and had one steal.

• Bonus Basketball... Part III?
Stonehill and Mercyhurst went into overtime twice already this season. The Skyhawks took game one in Erie 57-62 at the beginning of the season, while the Lakers took game two to close out the regular season, 75-72.

• 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 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 conference 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
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
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 overall when facing the Skyhawks. They are 1-1 at home and 1-1 on the road. The Lakers and Skyhawks met twice already this season, going into overtime in both matches.