MERCYHURST Lakers (13-9, 9-3 PSAC West)) AT EDINBORO Fighting Scots (9-13, 2-10 PSAC West)
                 
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 2014
TIPOFF: 3:00 p.m.
SITE: McComb Fieldhouse
RADIO: WFSE 88.9 FM
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/edinboro/mbball

Edinboro Game Notes , Meryhurst Preview
Edinboro Season Stats, Mercyhurst Season Stats
 
SERIES RECORD
Edinboro Leads 47-30

LAST MEETING
January 15, 2014 - Mercyhurst 77, Edinboro 65 (OT)
Mercyhurst outscored the Fighting Scots 17-9 in overtime, sparked by a 9-0 run to start overtime to defeat Edinboro 77-65 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Laker forward Andy Hoying connected on a put-back with five seconds remaining in regulation to send the PSAC West matchup into overtime. Henri Wade-Chatman made the first of two free throws to give the Fighting Scots a 60-58 lead with 20 seconds left in the contest. After missing the second free throw, Jean Onana's three-pointer with seven seconds left was off the mark, but Hoying grabbed the offensive rebound and hit a put-back from the left side to knot the game at 60 apiece with just five ticks showing on the clock. After an Edinboro timeout, Jonny Marsh's three-pointer from 25-feet out at the buzzer was long, sending the game into overtime. Mercyhurst came out firing on all cylinders in overtime, constructing a 9-0 run to start the bonus period. The Lakers gained a 69-60 advantage fueled by costly back-to-back Fighting Scot turnovers. Bryan Theriot made a free throw at the 2:03 mark in overtime to end the Laker run. However, the Fighting Scots could not claw back, as Mercyhurst built its lead to as many as 14 points with 29 seconds left in overtime. Wade-Chatman paced all scorers with 22 points, shooting a season-high 64.3 percent from the field (9 of 14). Theriot followed with 14 points to go along with six rebounds. Marsh added 12 points and three assists, while Sam Sealy-James pulled down six boards off the bench. Former Fighting Scot Anthony Lytle led Mercyhurst with 17 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Onana scored 15 markers off the bench and Jonathan Ouegnin had 13 points on the night. The Lakers won the battle on the boards by a total of 45-30 rebounds. The -15 rebounding deficit represents the highest of the season for the Fighting Scots.
 
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
 

Edinboro	Mercyhurst
#2 Henri Wade-Chatman (G, 6-2, So.)	#2 Paul Bilbo (C, 6-9, R-Sr.)
#3 Will Marrow (G, 6-4, R-So.)	#3 Jonathan Ouegnin (G, 6-4, Sr.)
#5 Alex Moore  (F, 6-4, Sr.)	#15 Callon Dailey (G, 6-5, Jr.)
#15 Jonny Marsh (G, 6-0, Jr.)	#23 Jean Onana (G, 6-2, So.)
#55 Bryan Theriot (C, 6-9, Sr)	#44 Anthony Lytle (F, 6-5, Gr.)

HEAD COACHES
Edinboro: Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99)
Record at Edinboro: 9-13, 1st year
Career Record: 9-13, 1st year

Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99) is in his first year as head coach of the Fighting Scots, taking over for his predecessor Greg Walcavich, who spent 24 years at the helm of the Edinboro program. Cleary previously worked as an assistant under Walcavich for 16 years, first as a student aide before becoming a full-time assistant coach. He is credited for recruiting many of Edinboro's top contributors in recent years. The first-year head coach takes over a team that finished 18-10 a year ago and reached the PSAC Tournament Semifinals. Cleary has led the Fighting Scots to a 9-13 record this season.

Mercyhurst: Gary Manchel
Record at Mercyhurst: 177-124, (11th year)
Career Record: 308-249, (20th year)

Gary Manchel (Vermont '85) is in his 11th season in charge of the Lakers and 20th season overall as a head coach. He holds a 308-249 record in 20 seasons, including a 177-124 mark at Mercyhurst. Manchel guided the Lakers in their first year as full-time member within the PSAC in 2008-09. Upon being hired in 2003, Manchel took over a team that had just three winning campaigns in the previous 10 seasons. He also spent nine years as head coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, compiling a 131-125 record during his stay.  Priot to UMass Lowell, Manchel served as an assistant coach at Yale for five seasons and as a graduate assistant at Slippery Rock.
 
Pat Cleary's Record vs. Mercyhurst: 0-1
Gary Manchel's Record vs. Edinboro: 8-10
 
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Edinboro
#55 Bryan Theriot (C, 6-9, Sr.) earned first team All-PSAC West accolades a year ago after averaging 18.1 ppg. and 8.9 rpg. Was named a preseason All-PSAC choice. Shot 55.4 percent from the floor and 87.2 percent at the line. He was named the PSAC West Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending January 12, after averaging 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in two contests.  He leads the team in scoring at 17.4 points per contest, also ranks sixth in scoring average in the PSAC. He is fourth in the league in rebounding average at 8.3 boards per game, and second in the conference in field goal percentage at 59.6 percent (137 of 230). The senior ranks 12th in school history with 1,289 career points and 16th with 649 career rebounds. Theriot now holds the career record for free throws made with 373. He also sits at second all-time in career field goal percentage, shooting 58.9 percent from the field for his career (457 of 775).
 
#2 Henri Wade-Chatman (G, 6-2, So.) is a first-year player for the Fighting Scots after transferring from Community College of Allegheny County. He had a team-high 22 points vs. Mercyhurst on 9 of 14 shooting. Wade-Chatman is averaging 15.2 ppg.in the Scots' last nine contests and is the team's third-leading scorer at 13.0 points per game. Known as "Booka" to his teammates, Wade-Chatman is also team leader in steals with 20. He dished out a game-high eight assists with no turnovers vs. Clarion, while ranking sixth in the PSAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.9 (74/39), and ninth in the league in assists per game at 3.4. He scored 17 points in the win over California, including a game-winning jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining. He has recorded 31 assists with just 12 turnovers in the last eight games.  

Mercyhurst 
#3 Jonathan Ouegnin (G, 6-4, Sr.) Ouegnin paces the Lakers in rebounding (5.4 rpg.), assists (3.1 apg.), field goal percentage (.539) and steals (36). The 6'4'' guard is Mercyhurst's second-leading scorer at 9.4 points per game, but is coming off two of his lowest scoring outputs of the season with two points agaist Gannon and four points versus Slippery Rock. Ouegnin dropped in 13 points to go along with seven rebounds in the Lakers' win over Edinboro earlier this season. One of the most prolific dunkers in the PSAC, Ouegnin has been chosen as one of 16 players for the Fourth Annual "State Farm Dark Horse Dunker" competition.

#23 Jean Onana (G, 6-2, So.) A 6'2'' guard, Onana is the Lakers' leading scorer at 9.7 points per game. He scored 15 points against the Fighting Scots in the teams' last meeting. Onana has reached double-figures in each of the last three games, including a 13-point outing in a win over Slippery Rock on Wednesday. Onana is Mercyhurst's top 3-point threat, connecting on 34 of 94 shots from behind the arc on the season. He posted a season-high 29 points against Seton Hill earlier this season on 9 of 14 shooting, including four of five attempts from long range.

THE GAME STORIES
• Edinboro enters the Mercyhurst game following a 71-54 loss at Gannon on Wednesday night to fall to 2-10 in PSAC West play and 9-13 overall.
 
• With four PSAC West contests remaining on the schedule, the Fighting Scots sit in eighth place at 2-10 in the conference. The top six teams from each PSAC division qualify for the conference tournament. With two losses each to Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown, who sit at fifth and sixth place, respectively, the Scots still have a steep hill to climb. They would lose tie breakers to both the Mountain Cats and Griffins. An Edinboro loss or UPJ win in one of the four remaining contests would eliminate the Fighting Scots from postseason play.
 
• Mercyhurst comes in with a 9-3 mark in PSAC West play and a 13-9 record on the season, good for third place in the Western Division standings. Having won six of their last eight contests, the Lakers feature a stifling defense and balanced offensive attack. Mercyhurst ranks fifth in Division II in scoring defense at 60.5 points per game. On offense, they do not have a single player averaging double-figures in points, but have eight players averaging at least five points and 11 players averaging at least eight minutes per game.
 
• Both the Fighting Scots and Lakers are no stranger to close games this season. Edinboro has played in nine games this season decided by eight points or less, while Mercyhurst has played in 14 such games. However, the Lakers have had better luck in these contests, winning seven of these games, compared to the Scots' 2-7 record.
 
• Henri Wade-Chatman continues his strong stretch, scoring in double-figures for the eighth time in nine games with a team-high 17 markers against Gannon on Wednesday night. The 6'2'' sophomore is averaging 15.2 points per game during those games, including 22 points at Mercyhurst and 19 against Pitt-Johnstown. He has also dished out 31 assists while committing only 12 turnovers in those games. Wade-Chatman is the Scots' third-leading scorer at 13.0 points per game, while also ranking fifth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.9 (74 assists/39 turnovers).
 
• Gannon swept the season series against the Fighting Scots for the first time since 2008-09, the Golden Knights' first season in the PSAC. Edinboro looks to avoid a season sweep against Meryhurst. The Lakers last accomplished this feat during the 2010-11 campaign. The Fighting Scots won all three contests against Mercyhurst last season.

NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS
Wednesday, February 19 at Slippery Rock - 8:00 p.m.