Jan. 15, 2008

Complete Pregame Notes in PDF Format

THE MATCHUPS: Mercyhurst has played just one road game in the past month but the Lakers travel to Michigan this week to face GLIAC opponents Grand Valley State and Ferris State on Thursday and Saturday. The Lakers are 2-11 all-time against both Grand Valley State and Ferris State and have lost six in a row against both North Division foes.
LAST YEAR AGAINST GRAND VALLEY: Mercyhurst led 9-6 in the early going but Grand Valley State scored 13 straight points and never looked back in a 76-49 victory. Julie Anderson was the only Mercyhurst player to score in double-figures, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds. Grand Valley shot 50 percent from three-point range, went to the free-throw line 18 more times than Mercyhurst and forced 24 turnovers.
LAST YEAR AGAINST FERRIS STATE: Mercyhurst trailed by just six points 4:30 into the second half but Ferris State pulled away for a 90-70 victory. Lindsay Whipkey was 7-of-9 shooting for 14 points and six rebounds and Stephanie Prischak added 10 points in the loss. Julie Anderson led Mercyhurst's cause with 17 points and five steals. Ferris State shot 54 percent from the field and attempted 22 more free-throws than the Lakers. The Bulldogs also had a 33-11 advantage in points off of turnovers.
THE COACHES: Mercyhurst head coach Deanna Richard is in her first season at Mercyhurst, currently posting a 6-10 record. She has a career mark of 67-102, including a record of 61-92 in six seasons at Division III Olivet College. Grand Valley State head coach Janel Burgess is in her first year at the helm of the Lakers after spending three years as an assistant coach and recruiting director at Missouri State. Ferris State head coach Tracey Dorow has led the Bulldogs since the 1998-99 season and has produced a 168-102 career record.
SCOUTING MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst won its first GLIAC game Saturday with an 81-78 victory over Findlay in which the Lakers came up with clutch plays down the stretch. Mercyhurst has been fantastic from the free-throw line lately, shooting 85 percent over the past four games. The team also made 4-of-4 free-throws in the final 30 seconds against Findlay to clinch the victory. Freshman Amy Achesinski remains a consistent scoring threat, posting at least 11 points in every game this season. Junior Stephanie Prischak averaged 20.5 points per game last week, adding 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 steals per game.
SCOUTING GRAND VALLEY STATE: Grand Valley State is the top defensive team in the GLIAC, allowing just 57.5 points per game. The Lakers, however, have struggled on the offensive side of the ball and rank just 12th out of 13 teams in the conference in field goal percentage and free-throw percentage. Crystal Zick leads the team at 13.2 points per game and Kim Wyngaard and Erin Cyplik both average 10.9. Zick rates as one of the best defensive players in the conference, picking up 3.0 steals per contest.
SCOUTING FERRIS STATE: The Ferris State offense revolves around the dominance of Rachel Folcik. She is averaging a double-double with 20.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. A year ago, Mercyhurst saw up-close just how talented she is when she dropped 37 points on the Lakers, making 14-of-18 shot attempts and all nine of her free-throws. She also leads the GLIAC at 89.5 percent from the free-throw line and was a first-team all-conference player a year ago. As a team, the Bulldogs also defend extremely well, allowing opponents to shoot just 37.9 percent from the field. On the other hand, Ferris is the only team in the GLIAC with a worse turnover margin than Mercyhurst, averaging 6.6 turnovers per game more than opponents.

QUICK HITS
• Mercyhurst is playing its final season as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) before moving to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) next year. Mercyhurst went 3-1 against PSAC schools this year, picking up wins over Mansfield, Edinboro and Lock Haven, coupled with a loss to Slippery Rock.
• Freshman Amy Achesinski ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division II in field goal percentage. She is the only freshman ranked in the top 50 in that category.
• Mercyhurst has shot at least 80 percent from the free-throw line in each of the past four games and is shooting 85 percent during that stretch.
• As a team, the Lakers are on pace to break the single season school records for field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Mercyhurst is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three-point range this year, ranking second in the GLIAC in that category.
• Stephanie Prischak is the all-time leader in career free-throw percentage at Mercyhurst. At 83.6 percent (107-of-128), she ranks just ahead of Tricia Mahoney (82.7 percent from 1979-83).
• Freshman Samantha Loadman is on pace to break the school record for three-point shooting in a season. At 46.9 percent, she is slightly ahead of Amy Galla's 46.2 percent shooting in 2000-01.