Jan. 8, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Erie, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball team enters the week looking to snap a two-game skid and it will face steep challenges in Ashland and No. 15-ranked Findlay.

ABOUT THE GAMES
• Mercyhurst enters this week with a 7-7 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the GLIAC. The Lakers have dropped two-straight and are facing a pair of GLIAC games this week. On Thursday, the Lakers host Ashland at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WMCE 88.5 and 104.9 FM and can be watched online via the B2 Networks. On Saturday, Findlay visits the MAC at 3 p.m. That game will be aired on Image Sports.
• Mercyhurst's last two defeats have come by an average margin of just seven points, but the Lakers failed to score more than 58 points in either game. Entering the week, only Terry Smith and T.J. Mathis are averaging in double figures. Smith has led the Lakers in scoring in 11 of the team's 14 games.
• Head Coach Gary Manchel is also in search of his 200th career win. He enters the week with a career record of 199-183.
• Ashland comes into Thursday's contest with a 9-6 record overall and a 3-2 GLIAC mark. The Eagles, however, are 2-4 on the road and are coming off 112-110 overtime loss to Hillsdale.
• Findlay enters the week ranked 15th in Division II and riding a seven-game winning streak. On Thursday, the Oilers face Gannon, which is currently in first place in the GLIAC South Division. All seven of Findlay's consecutive wins have come at home and the Oilers are 2-2 on the road this year.

SCOUTING ASHLAND
• Ashland enters Thursday's game as the league's second-ranked scoring offense with an impressive average of 82.3 points per game. However, the Eagles are surrendering 75.9 points per game.
• Two Ashland players rank amongst the conference leaders in scoring. Bret Wackerly is ranked fourth at 17.7 points per outing, freshman Kale Richardson is ranked 10th at 15.7 points per contest. Senior Bret Bartlett's 14.1 points per game ranks him 15th.
• The Eagles share the basketball on offense with Wackerly ranking second in assists, averaging 4.73 per game and Brett Bartlett ranked ninth with 3.50 per game.
• Ashland's 3-point specialist is Steve Gansey. He has drilled 45 3-pointers this year and is averaging 3.00 makes per game. He is ranked third in the GLIAC behind Mercyhurst's Terry Smith.

SCOUTING FINDLAY
• The three-time defending GLIAC champions entered the season picked first in the GLIAC South Division, but the Oilers suffered two early conference defeats at the hands of Ashland and the nation's No. 2-ranked team, Grand Valley State. Still, the Oilers enter the week ranked 15th in the nation and boast a 12-2 record.
• The Oilers have been solid all around, ranking third in scoring offense (79.9 points per game) and second in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 58.5 points per game. As a team, the Oilers are hitting an incredible 53.6 percent of its field goal attempts, which ranks first in the conference. They are also hitting 43 percent of their 3-point attempts, while holding opponents to just 30 percent shooting from long range.
• Defensively, the Oilers lead the league in steals with 11.43 per game. Sophomore Marcus Parker is leading the GLIAC averaging 3.21 steals per game. While forcing the opponent to commit turnovers, Findlay takes care of the basketball on offense, as it ranks first in the league in turnover margin at +4.64.
• Findlay features a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging double figures. Josh Bostic leads the team with 12.6 points per game. He also leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. Parker averages 10.6 points and leads the team with 60 assists and 45 steals. Lee Roberts is averaging 11.8 points per outing, but is averaging 16.3 points in four GLIAC games.

ABOUT THE SERIES
• Ashland holds a 21-13 edge all time and won the last meeting by an 86-56 score. The Eagles have won six of the last seven meetings. Mercyhurst coach Gary Manchel won his first two games against the Eagles in 2003-04 but is now 3-6 in nine meetings. The first meeting between the two squads came in the season opener of the 1981-82 season. Ashland won that game 90-76. Mercyhurst's first win in the series came by an 86-67 win in 1985.
• Findlay holds a 16-6 lead in the series against the Lakers and has won nine in a row and 12 of 13, including two games in the GLIAC Tournament. Mercyhurst's last victory came by a 69-61 score in overtime in 2004. That game was Manchel's first meeting against Findlay as the head coach of the Lakers.

THE LAST MEETINGS
• On Feb. 17, 2007, Ashland drilled 14 3-pointers en route to an 86-56 victory over the Lakers in Ashland, Ohio. The Eagles made 14-of-27 from long range. Avi Fogel led the Lakers with 12 points and Shelby Chaney chipped in nine points and four blocked shots.
• The Lakers and Findlay met in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament on March 2, 2007 and the second-seeded Lakers fell 77-40 in Findlay's home gym. The Oilers knocked down 58 percent of its shots and made 13-of-15 free throws. Fogel led the Lakers with 16 points. Josh Bostic led Findlay with 19 points. It was Mercyhurst's first trip to the GLIAC semifinals.

THE LAST TIME OUT
• Despite a strong start and leading by as many as 11 in the first half, the Lakers cooled off and dropped a 66-57 decision to Gannon in front of 1,385 fans at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center last Saturday evening. Mercyhurst's defense set the tone early, forcing Gannon into 10 first half turnovers. T.J. Mathis recorded four steals in the first five minutes. The Lakers converted the miscues into 15 points.
• Mercyhurst shot just 9-of-23 in the second and made only two 3-pointers despite entering the game averaging eight threes per game.
• Gannon committed only five turnovers in the second and knocked down 14-of-25 shots to finish at 49 percent shooting on the game.
• Senior Terry Smith led all Lakers with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Mathis chipped in 11 points--all of which came in the first half--and five steals. Junior Brian McTear added 11 points and four assists.
• It was Gannon's first win over the Lakers since 2006.

HOME COMFORT
• The Mercyhurst Athletic Center has been a tough place to play for opponents as the Lakers are 29-9 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 nine home games, the Lakers are shooting an impressive 46.6 percent from the field (228-489) and 38 percent from 3-point range (73-192).

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 7-3 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 six 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 56. He ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game at 4.00 and is fourth in assists/turnover ratio at 1.79. Seven times this season he has totaled four or more assists. McTear has recorded at least two assists in 13 of 14 games.
• In the last five games, McTear has totaled 25 assists for an average of 5.0 per game.
• Ryann Bradford matched a career-high two assists against Gannon on Jan. 5.

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 16.9 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 (1.79). 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 six of the team's 14 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 1,139 points, he now trails Richard Bradley, who totaled 1,158.
• Smith has 168 3-point field goal makes in his career (44 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 432 3-pointers and is 106 shy of Richard Bradley's record of 538.
• Smith, with 44 made 3-pointers this season, needs 33 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 20 more assists, Smith will crack the school's career top-10 list. He currently has 250 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 199-183, 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 1-3 this year, boosting the program's mark to 78-124. The team has also made six conference tournament appearances.
• Three of those berths have come during Gary Manchel's tenure, however. His teams are 31-41 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 14 games of the season, the Lakers have hit an average of 8.1 3-pointers per game, which ranks fourth in the GLIAC. The team has drilled 113-of-312 3-point shots and has made at least five in each game. Terry Smith leads the team with 44 threes and is shooting an impressive 45.4 percent, ranking 12th in the GLIAC. He also ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers made per game.
• With 113 3-pointers through just 14 games, the Lakers are on pace to hit 218 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 187 3-pointers, which would come close to Richard Bradley's record of 200 that he set in 1998-99.

GRAND THEFT
• Mercyhurst's guards have been pestering opponents this season, with two players ranking in the top five 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 37 in just 14 games for an average of 2.64 per game. In the last four games, Mathis has totaled 14 steals, including a season-high five against Ohio Valley and Gannon. He currently ranks second in the GLIAC in steals per game. In the first 4:27 against Gannon, he totaled four steals.
• Mathis is on pace for 71 steals this season, which would leave him six steals shy of the school's single season record.
• Mathis has recorded at least two steals in each of the last six games and has 20 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 2.29 steals per game, tying him with Mathis for second in the GLIAC.
• He has totaled 10 steals in the last three games and at least one in 13 of 14 games this seeason. He also has six games of at least three steals.