Lakers Host Tiffin and West Virginia Wesleyan For Two Games In Three Days - MERCYHURST COLLEGE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Dec. 13, 2007

THE MATCHUPS: Mercyhurst will play two homes games this week, hosting the Tiffin Dragons Saturday and the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats Monday. Mercyhurst is 0-1 all-time against Tiffin (with the only other contest coming earlier this year) and is 4-1 all-time against West Virginia Wesleyan, including a 79-75 victory a year ago.
LAST MEETING WITH TIFFIN: Mercyhurst and Tiffin met earlier this season and the Dragons earned a 74-63 victory. The Lakers held a 57-55 lead with six minutes to play before Tiffin scored 13 consecutive points over the next three minutes to put the game away. Amy Achesinski scored 24 points and added six rebounds to lead Mercyhurst, while Tiffin's Megan Fletcher led her squad with 20 points and four rebounds. Junior Stephanie Prischak was 7-of-8 from the field and finished with 15 points, and Stevie Spetoskey added 10 points.
LAST MEETING WITH WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN: Mercyhurst defeated West Virginia Wesleyan 79-75 a year ago as senior Julie Anderson posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Stephanie Prischak shot 6-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line for 17 points and pulled down six boards.
THE COACHES: Mercyhurst head coach Deanna Richard is in her first season at Mercyhurst, currently posting a 2-7 record. She has a career mark of 63-99, including a record of 61-92 in six seasons at Division III Olivet College. Tiffin head coach Pam Oswald is 3-7 in her first year as a head coach after spending three years as an assistant at Wheeling Jesuit. West Virginia Wesleyan head coach Steve Tierney has spent his first five years of coaching as a Bobcat, posting a 59-71 record. Tierney spent three seasons as an assistant at Fairmont State University prior to his stint as head coach at West Va. Wesleyan.
SCOUTING MERCYHURST: The Lakers are coming off a 1-1 week in which they came roaring out of the gates in both match-ups. Mercyhurst is averaging just 68 points a game but is scoring 76 points per game over the past three contests. The Lakers are leading the GLIAC with 48 percent shooting and 41 percent from three-point range. Amy Achesinski is averaging 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds a game, ranking in the top four in the conference in both categories. Stephanie Prischak is leading the Lakers with 3.0 assists per game. On defense, Paris Pugliese is earning 2.6 steals a game, which ranks fifth in the conference.
SCOUTING TIFFIN: Tiffin picked up a 79-60 win over Wayne State Tuesday to improve to 3-7 on the year and its other two wins came against Mercyhurst and Central State. The Dragons have a diverse offense, with four players averaging at least 9.7 points per game. Leanna Lucius is leading the Bobcats on the boards, tallying 7.5 rebounds a game. Kylene Spiegel deals out 4.9 assists and manages 1.3 steals a game. Against GLIAC competition, Tiffin is 2-3 with loses to Gannon, Saginaw Valley State and Ferris State.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN: The Bobcats are currently 4-1 this season with one of those victories coming over common-opponent Tiffin. West Virginia Wesleyan beat Tiffin earlier this season 73-65. The Bobcats are led offensively by Sarah Van Horn, who is almost averaging a double-double with 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds. The Bobcats are shooting 48 percent from the field and 33 percent from three point range. Currently, W. Va. Wesleyan has outscored its opponents by 14.6 points 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 is 2-1 against PSAC schools this year, picking up wins over Mansfield and Edinboro, coupled with a loss to Slippery Rock.
• Freshman Amy Achesinski was named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week Nov. 27 after averaging 22.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in two games the prior week.
• Achesinski is on record pace at the free-throw line. At her current rate, she would make 153 free-throws on the season, tying the school record.
• No Mercyhurst player has scored 30 or more points in a game since 2001 but Achesinski came close to breaking that streak with a career-high 29 against Northern Michigan Dec. 1.
• 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 48.1 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three-point range this year.
• Despite the Lakers' 2-7 record, Mercyhurst has been very competitive this year. The Lakers have held a second-half lead in four of their seven losses.