Jan. 3, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst and Gannon square off for the 55th time on Saturday at 8 p.m., inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Radio coverage can be heard on WMCE 88.5 FM and 104.9 FM, as well as on the Internet at wmce.mercyhurst.edu. The game can be watched locally on Image Sports Network and on the Internet via the B2 Networks.

ABOUT THE GAME
• Mercyhurst enters the game having won three of its last four games, boosting its season mark to 7-6 overall. The Lakers, however, are hoping to bounce back from a 63-58 defeat at the hands of Shepherd on Dec. 20. The Lakers will have some rust to knock off early, as by game time, they will have not played in 15 days.
• While the Lakers have been idle, Gannon was busy getting out to its best start since the 2001-02 season and after Wednesday's non-conference win over Northwood, the Golden Knights improved to 11-1 overall. Gannon's lone loss came by four points against Edinboro on Dec. 8 and has since won five in a row.
• Both teams enter their final season as members of the GLIAC and Gannon is off to a 3-0 start, while the Lakers are 1-2 against the same opponents (Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State). Neither team, however, has played a conference game since early December.
• Only five players on the Mercyhurst roster have tasted the rivalry before, but senior Terry Smith has faced the Golden Knights six times and is averaging 12.7 points per game, which is one point better than his career average entering the season. He has also hit 28-of-66 field goal attempts (42.4 percent) and 13-of-32 from 3-point range (40.6). His personal best performance against the Golden Knights came in a 57-54 loss on Feb. 23, 2006 when he scored 25.
• T.J. Mathis, now in his second season with the Lakers, made an immediate impact on the rivalry, recording 14 points and three steals in the first meeting of 2007 and 16 points and three assists in the second.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• The Golden Knights entered the season ranked last in the GLIAC Preseason Poll, but has been impressive early, winning games by an average margin of 19.5 points. Gannon ranks in the top three in the GLIAC in scoring offense (80.5), but has been just as good defensively, limiting opponents to just 60.9 points per game and ranking second in the conference in field goal percentage defense, as teams are hitting just 39.7 percent of its attempts against the Golden Knights. Gannon is also first in blocked shots, averaging 5.27 per outing.
• Gannon has been dominant in its rebounding efforts, as well, ranking first in the GLIAC in rebounding offense (40.4) and are outrebounding opponents by 8.6 per game.
• Gannon's offense is led by senior Vince Mosley, who enters the game ranked second in the GLIAC, averaging 18.4 points per game. He is also sixth in rebounding at 7.7 per game. Pierre Howard is scoring 13.9 per game. Kyle Goldcamp has been strong in the post, averaging 7.7 rebounds and ranks first in the GLIAC in blocked shots at 2.73 per game. Goldcamp has also converted 55-of-78 field goal attempts (.705).
• Gannon has won all but one of their games by double figures.

ABOUT THE SERIES
• While Gannon owns a 40-14 advantage in the series, the Lakers have had the upper hand in recent years, winning three of the last four meetings, including a sweep by scores of 79-74 and 64-53 in 2006-07. With 54 meetings, the Lakers have faced only Edinboro more times in the history of the program.
• Mercyhurst started its basketball program in 1971-72, but the local rivals did not face until Dec. 22, 1974. Gannon took the first meeting 70-66. After the first game, the teams took a three-year hiatus and did not play again until Feb. 13, 1977. Gannon earned an 81-77 overtime victory. Since then, the two teams have met at least once every season.
• Laker head coach Gary Manchel took over the program in 2003-04 and made an immediate impact on the rivalry, knocking off Gannon 47-42 at the MAC on Jan. 26, 2004. Manchel is 4-4 in eight games against the Golden Knights.
• The Lakers have won the last two times the teams played in the MAC, but Gannon holds a 14-5 edge all-time.
• Since Manchel's arrival in 2003, the rivalry has consistently been contested in low scoring games. Gannon has averaged 60 points per game and the Lakers have averaged 56.6 points per game in the eight meetings. Only once (Feb. 24, 2007) have both teams scored in the 70's (79-74).

THE LAST TIME MEETING
• Shelby Chaney recorded a double-double in his return to the Hammermill Center to lead the Lakers to a 79-74 victory on Feb. 24, 2007. The win wrapped up the two-seed in the GLIAC South for the Lakers, giving them their first-ever home playoff game. It also capped a season sweep for the Lakers for just the second time in program history.
• Four Lakers scored double figures, and Avi Fogel led the way with 20. For Gannon, Robert Buckner scored 19, and Aurimas Truskauskas grabbed 15 rebounds.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• On Dec. 20, Shepherd used a strong second half to snap a 31-31 halftime tie and the Lakers' three-game winning streak by a 63-58 final score. The Rams entered the game shooting just 31 percent from 3-point range but hit 7-of-10 against the Lakers. Mercyhurst, which had scored 66 or more in its last three games, shot just 36.4 percent from the field and made only six 3-pointers. The team entered the game averaging nearly nine per contest.
• In a game of runs, Shepherd got the biggest one early in the second half. With Mercyhurst clinging to a 37-36 lead, the Rams scored 13 straight points and Mercyhurst could never fully recover. The Lakers did get within four points on two occasions, but Mercyhurst was unable to get any closer.
• Terry Smith led the team with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a game-high four steals.

FINDING CONSISTENCY
• The Lakers have won three of its last four games and have seemingly found a consistent rotation. Prior to the last four games, 11 different players had earned starts and the team had used nine different starting lineups. But in the three victories, the Lakers used the same starting lineup that featured Terry Smith, T.J. Mathis, Luke Handley, Srdjan Popovic and Iddo Cohen. Only Smith and Mathis have started all 12 games this season.

HOME COMFORT
• The Mercyhurst Athletic Center has been a tough place to play for opponents as the Lakers are 29-8 over the last three seasons in the building. So far this season, five of the Lakers' seven victories have come on their home floor and no visiting team has scored more than 69 points. Mercyhurst has held two opponents to fewer than 55 points.
• In eight home games, the Lakers are shooting an impressive 47.1 percent from the field (205-435) and 39 percent from 3-point range (68-174).

DEFENSE WINS
• Mercyhurst has climbed to fifth in the GLIAC in scoring defense, allowing 64.6 points per game. The Lakers also rank fifth in field goal percentage defense, as they are holding teams to 44 percent shooting.
• Mercyhurst boasts a 7-2 record when it holds opponents to 67 points or less. The Lakers are also 5-1 when limiting opponents to 45 percent shooting from the field.

THE SEASON FOR SHARING
• On Dec. 17, the Lakers recorded a season-high 24 assists. All but nine of the team's field goals were assisted. Seven Lakers recorded at least two assists, and Srdjan Popovic recorded a career high of four. On Dec. 20, Terry Smith got into the act, handing out a season-high four assists.
• The Lakers have totaled at least 10 assists in each of the last five outings, but 16 seems to be the key number. This year, when the Lakers record at least 16 assists in a game, they are 5-1.
• Brian McTear leads the team with 52. He ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game at 4.00, and is fourth in assists/turnover ratio at 1.73. Six times this season he has totaled four or more assists. McTear has recorded at least two assists in 12 of 13 games.
• In the last four games, McTear has totaled 21 assists for an average of 5.25 per game.
• T.J. Mathis has handed out an assist in all 13 games and has recorded at least three in eight games.

GO-TO-GUY
• Terry Smith scored 21 points on Dec. 17 against Ohio Valley, giving him four 20-point performances this season after recording none in 2006-07. In those four games, the Lakers are 3-1.
• Smith has scored at least 18 points in 10 of the team's 13 games this year and has tallied double figures in all but one game.
• He ranks fifth in the GLIAC in scoring at 17.2 points per game and is one of only seven players averaging 17 points per game.
• Over the course of his career, Smith has 12 games of 20 or more and the Lakers are 7-5 in those games.

BLOCK PARTY
• Freshman Iddo Cohen has quickly made his presence felt on the defensive end, as he currently ranks fourth in the GLIAC in blocks per game (1.77). Against Shepherd on Dec. 20, he swatted three shots, but his most impressive outing of the season came against Edinboro, when he totaled a career-high five blocks. It was the best single-game total by any Laker since Jeff Daisley tallied eight against Ferris State on Jan. 19, 2006.
• Cohen has recorded at least two blocks in five of the team's 13 games.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
• With two second half free throws against Michigan Tech on Nov. 29, Terry Smith totaled his 1,000th career point. He became just the 15th player in school history to accomplish the feat.
• In just 14 games this season, he has moved from 24th to 11th on the all-time scoring list. With 1,127 points, he now trails Richard Bradley, who totaled 1,158.
• Smith has 166 3-point field goal makes in his career (42 this season) and is closing in on Jason Ioppolo's (1995-98) career record of 172. With one 3-pointer against Shepherd, he passed Richard Bradley (1998-01) for second on the list. Smith also has attempted 428 3-pointers and is 110 shy of Richard Bradley's record of 538.
• Smith, with 42 made 3-pointers this season, needs 35 to tie Kerry Baker's (1992-93)single season record of 77.
• Along with being a standout scoring threat, Smith ranks seventh in career steals with 160 and needs just two to pass Andy Kubinski (2002-06) for sixth place. Also, with 24 more assists, Smith will crack the school's career top-10 list. He currently has 247 in his career.

MERCYHURST MILESTONES
• On Saturday, Dec. 1, the Lakers picked up the 500th victory in the history of the program with a 63-55 win over Northern Michigan. The program has averaged nearly 14 wins a year throughout its history and has a winning percentage of .516.
• In just four seasons, Gary Manchel has moved into third-place on Mercyhurst's list of all-time winningest coaches with 68 victories. But in his 14 years of coaching, he has compiled a career record of 199-182, leaving him just one win shy of 200.

GRAND FINALE
• The Lakers enter their final season in the GLIAC after competing in the conference since the 1995-96 season. So far, the team is 1-2 this year, boosting the program's mark to 78-123. The team has also made six conference tournament appearances.
• Three of those berths have come during Gary Manchel's tenure, however. His teams are 30-38 in the GLIAC with nine or more conference wins in three of four years. His 2006-07 squad earned the school's first home playoff game, as well, hosting Wayne State in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament on Feb. 27.

BOMBS AWAY
• Through the first 13 games of the season, the Lakers have hit an average of 8.3 3-pointers per game, which ranks fourth in the GLIAC. The team has drilled 108-of-294 3-point shots and has made at least five in each game. Terry Smith leads the team with 42 threes and is shooting an impressive 45.2 percent, ranking 12th in the GLIAC and has attempted 11 more 3-pointers than any other player in the top 12. He also ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers made per game.
• With 108 3-pointers through just 13 games, the Lakers are on pace to hit 224 by the end of the regular season. That would be just the second time in school history that a team made more than 200 3-pointers in a season. The only other time came in 1991-92 when the Lakers hit 226-of-587 from long range.
• Three times this season, the Lakers have hit 10 or more 3-pointers, and against Ohio Valley, the Lakers knocked down 14-of-25 from long range, falling one shy of the school record that was set against Lake Superior State in 2006.
• Individually, Terry Smith is on pace to make 87 3-point field goals (averaging 3.2 per game). The current single season record is 77 and is held by Kerry Baker (1992-93). Smith is also on pace to attempt 193 3-pointers, which would come close to Richard Bradley's record of 200 that he set in 1998-99.

STEALING THE SHOW
• Mercyhurst's guards have been pestering opponents this season, with two players ranking in the top 10 in the conference in steals.
• Senior T.J. Mathis showed a knack for creating turnovers in 2006-07 when he totaled 50 and averaged nearly two steals per game. He is off to a fast start in 2007-08, as well, totaling 32 in just 13 games for an average of 2.46 per game. In the last three games, Mathis has totaled nine steals, including a season-high five against Ohio Valley. He currently ranks second in the GLIAC in steals per game.
• Mathis has recorded at least two steals in each of the last five games and has 15 total during that span.
• Terry Smith totaled a career-high six steals against Ohio Valley and notched four more against Shepherd on Dec. 20 improving his season total to 32 and is now averaging 2.46 steals per game, tying him with Mathis for second in the GLIAC.
• He has totaled 10 steals in the last two games and at least one in every game this season. He also has six games of at least three steals.