Dec. 26, 2007

THE MATCHUPS: Mercyhurst plays its final non-conference game of the year as the Lakers host future conference opponent Lock Haven. The Bald Eagles are a member of the PSAC and Mercyhurst will move from the GLIAC to the PSAC beginning in 2008-09. Mercyhurst is 5-4 all-time against Lock Haven, but the Bald Eagles won the last meeting between the two schools, a 68-61 decision on Nov. 28, 2005.
LAST MEETING WITH LOCK HAVEN: Lock Haven scored 21 of the first 25 points and held on for a 68-61 victory over Mercyhurst. The contest was tied at 59-59 with three minutes to play but the Bald Eagles scored the next nine points to get the win. Lock Haven shot just 36 percent from the field in that contest but forced 30 Mercyhurst turnovers. Stephanie Prischak is the only current Laker to have played in that contest, scoring 12 points in 30 minutes of court time.
THE COACHES: Mercyhurst head coach Deanna Richard is in her first season at Mercyhurst, currently posting a 4-8 record. She has a career mark of 65-100, including a record of 61-92 in six seasons at Division III Olivet College.
Jennifer Smith is in her first year as the head coach at Lock Haven after serving as the head coach at Goldey-Beacom College for the past two seasons. A standout basketball player at Millersville University, Smith guided Goldey-Beacom to an 18-11 record a year ago, the most wins in the program's history.
SCOUTING MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst has won two consecutive games for the first time this season and is 3-2 in its last five games after dropping six of its first seven to start the year. The Lakers have shot the ball well all year and lead the GLIAC in three-point shooting at 39.2 percent. Mercyhurst is also shooting 46.1 percent from the field and is on pace to break the school record in each of those categories. Freshman Amy Achesinski has scored in double-figures in every game this year and leads Mercyhurst at 16.7 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting 61 percent from the floor. Junior Stephanie Prischak has been a calming influence for a young Laker squad, averaging 13.8 points and shooting 53 percent on three-pointers.
SCOUTING LOCK HAVEN: The Lock Haven Bald Eagles enter Sunday's contest with a record of 4-5 overall but are riding a three-game winning streak. Lock Haven is coming off of wins over Kutztown, Mansfield and Bloomsburg in which the Bald Eagles held their opponents to just 55.7 points per game. Although Lock Haven does not shoot the ball extremely well, the Bald Eagles are outrebounding opponents by 2.8 per game and averaging 2.2 less turnovers per game than they are forcing. Lauren Kelshaw is the team's biggest threat offensively, ranking fourth in the PSAC at 17.3 points per game on 46 percent shooting. She has also made 15 three-pointers, more than double any other Lock Haven player. Kelshaw rarely comes off the floor, averaging almost 39 minutes 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. This game with Lock Haven is the Lakers' final game of the year against a PSAC opponent.
• Mercyhurst made a season-high 12 three-pointers in the win over New York Institute of Technology a week ago. In fact, it is the most three-pointers in a game since the Lakers made 12-of-17 in a 71-70 win over Ferris State on Jan. 20, 2001.
• 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 46.1 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range this year.
• Stephanie Prischak is the all-time leader in career free-throw percentage at Mercyhurst. At 84.6 percent (99-of-117), she ranks just ahead of Tricia Mahoney (82.7 percent from 1979-83). She is also on pace to break the school record for three-point shooting in a season. At 52.8 percent, she is well ahead of Amy Galla's 46.2 percent shooting in 2000-01.
• 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.
• 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.

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