MERCYHURST (14-15, 14-4 NEC) vs STONEHILL (12-17, 8-10)
Monday, March 9 – 6:00 p.m.
TV: NEC Front Row
 
The Mercyhurst women's basketball team is set to make their NEC Tournament debut Monday night at the Mercyhurst Athletics Center. Seventh seeded Stonehill makes the trip to Erie. The Lakers swept the regular season series, 2-0.
 
The Opponent
Stonehill finished the regular season with a 8-10 record in NEC play. This is the third consecutive NEC quarterfinal game for the Skyhawks, where they've gone 2-2. Stonehill is 0-2 in NEC Tournament road games.
 
One of the best defenses in the league, Stonehill holds opponents to just 61.2 points per game in conference play. However, the Skyhawks are towards the bottom of the NEC in steals per game, recording just six per contest.
 
The Skyhawks are second in the league in assists per contest, averaging 14.1 per game, behind LIU. Brooke Paquette averages nearly three assists per game for the Skyhawks, ranking seventh in the NEC.
 
Last Time Out
The Lakers closed out the regular season with a win over Le Moyne to secure the two seed in the NEC Tournament and home court advantage through the semifinals. Four Lakers reached double figures in the win with Cici Hernandez leading the way with 19.
 
Sophomore Surge
 Cici Hernandez has been one of the best players in the NEC in her sophomore season. She is third overall in scoring (14.2) and second during NEC play (17.3). She leads the league in 3FG percent in league play and overall. She makes 3.3 3-pointers per game in NEC play.
Playoff Picture
Mercyhurst secured the two seed and home court advantage through the semifinals of the NEC Tournament with a 14-4 record. 
 
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.
 
Turnaround
The Lakers started the season 0-12, without a single win in the nonconference portion of the season. However, the Lakers turned around the season following their first win of the season at Le Moyne on Jan. 4, finishing the year at 14-15 and 14-4 in NEC play.
 
Series History 
The Lakers won both meetings in the regular season. At Stonehill Jan. 17, Mercyhurst came out victorious, winning 63-58. In Erie, it was a similar outcome with the Lakers taking the win, 68-55.
 
60 is the Magic Number
Over the last three seasons, the Lakers are 39-15 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 13 of their last 15 games and six in a row. Over the last five games, the Lakers are holding opponents to 61.8 points which is fourth among NEC teams.
 
Exceeding Expectations
The Lakers were selected sixth out of 10 teams in the NEC Preseason Poll. The Lakers surged to the second seed, thanks to two six game winning streaks in during the regular season. The Lakers swept six of 10 NEC teams, splitting with LIU and Chicago State, and losing both to FDU.