Lakers Meet GLIAC South Foes This Week - MERCYHURST COLLEGE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Jan. 22, 2008

THE MATCHUPS: Mercyhurst returns to Michigan for the second consecutive weekend to play GLIAC South opponents Hillsdale and Wayne State this weekend. The Lakers have lost 15 consecutive meetings with Hillsdale and are 4-19 against the Chargers all-time. Mercyhurst and Wayne State have split the last six meetings but the Warriors hold a 15-9 edge in the all-time series.
LAST YEAR AGAINST HILLSDALE: Hillsdale outscored Mercyhurst 50-23 in the first half and cruised to a 91-59 win in Michigan a year ago, but the Lakers had a much better showing in Erie, dropping a hard-fought 67-65 decision. Hillsdale played 14 different players at least 10 minutes in the blowout victory as the Chargers jumped out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back. In the second meeting, Jenn Carlson hit the game-winner with eight seconds left to escape the Mercyhurst Athletic Center with a win. Julie Anderson had 24 points and 14 rebounds in that contest.
LAST YEAR AGAINST WAYNE STATE: Mercyhurst fell behind by 14 points in the first half and never recovered in an 88-75 loss to Wayne State in Michigan last year. Lindsay Whipkey had a career-high 25 points off the bench in that contest and Stephanie Prischak added 15 points and five assists. In Erie, the Lakers jumped out to a 33-24 halftime lead but scored just 18 second-half points in a 57-51 loss to the Warriors. Prischak had 14 points and seven rebounds in that contest and the Lakers held Wayne State to 22 percent shooting in the first half.
THE COACHES: Mercyhurst head coach Deanna Richard is in her first season at Mercyhurst, currently posting a 6-12 record. She has a career mark of 67-104, including a record of 61-92 in six seasons at Division III Olivet College. Hillsdale head coach Claudette Charney is 100-54 in six seasons with the Chargers and has a career mark of 416-241 in 24 years. She has coached at Muskegon Community College, Alma, and Saginaw Valley State. Gloria Bradley is in her eighth season as head coach at Wayne State with a mark of 93-113 during that time. She also spent seven years as the head coach at Montclair State and has a career record of 207-182.
SCOUTING MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst battled hard against two of the best teams in the GLIAC North Division this past weekend. The Lakers trailed Grand Valley State by just five points at the half before struggling to find offense in the second half. Mercyhurst led Ferris State with less than six minutes to play before a late run doomed the Lakers. The team continues to shoot the ball well, ranking in the top 20 in the country in both field-goal percentage and three-point percentage. Although turnovers have plagued the Lakers this year, the squad averaged just 10.0 per game over the weekend and are taking better care of the basketball.
SCOUTING HILLSDALE: The Chargers allow just 59.4 points per game and opponents are shooting a measly 36.7 percent against them on the season. Those stats have helped Hillsdale take over first place in the GLIAC South. The team also outrebounds opponents by 5.9 boards per game. Katie Cezat is one of only two players in the GLIAC to average more than 20.0 points per game this year and she sits at 20.9. She also leads the conference with 11.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 57 percent from the field, making her a GLIAC Player of the Year candidate. She has also recorded 21 blocks, fourth best in the conference.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE: Wayne State ranks last in the GLIAC in both field-goal percentage (40.0 percent) and free-throw percentage (64.0 percent), but the Warriors make up for that by forcing turnovers. Wayne State leads the GLIAC in steals and turnover margin, stats that have been problem areas for Mercyhurst. The Warriors also crash the boards hard, leading the conference with more than 16 offensive rebounds per game. Jasmine McCall gets the defense going with 3.8 steals per game.
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. Achesinski also has six double-doubles this season and has scored in double-figures in 17 of 18 games in her first collegiate season.
• 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 45.5 percent from the field and 37.7 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 83.1 percent (108-of-130), she ranks just ahead of Tricia Mahoney (82.7 percent from 1979-83).
• Mercyhurst has three players ranked among the top four in the GLIAC in three-point shooting. Prischak is shooting 43.7 percent from long range and freshman Samantha Loadman followed at 43.0 percent. Sophomore Paris Pugliese has made nine of her last 18 three-point attempts and is shooting 42.9 percent.