Edinboro Fighting Scots (6-2, 2-1 PSAC West) at Mercyhurst Lakers (3-4, 2-1 PSAC West)DATE: Tuesday, December 1, 2015
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Mercyhurst Athletic Center
CITY: Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/hurst/wbball/
GAME STORYThe Edinboro University women's basketball will play its third game in four days when they head to Mercyhurst to face the Lakers. The Fighting Scots participated in the IUP-Lodestar Classic this past weekend, hosted by Indiana(Pa.) Edinboro swept both contests in the two-day event. On Saturday the Fighting Scots defeated Johnson C. Smith 60-46 and on Sunday Edinboro used lock down defense to claim a 76-33 victory over St. Augustine's. The 33 points allowed was the best Edinboro defensive performance since a 101-20 win over Washington Adventist in 2009-10.
The Fighting Scots come into Tuesday's contest sporting a 6-2 overall record and a 2-1 record in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst enters with a 3-4 overall record and a 2-1 mark in PSAC play.
The Lakers also played a pair of games over the weekend in the McDonald's Thanksgiving Classic, going 1-1. On Friday, Mercyhurst dropped a decision to Saint Joseph's, 74-61. On Sunday, the Lakers won a tight one against Hillsdale College, 69-61.
Edinboro has won six straight games against Mercyhurst. The last Laker's victory was a 59-58 overtime win during the 2011-12 season. Edinboro's 45 wins all-time against Mercyhurst are the fourth-most against a single opponent, behind only Lock Haven (53), Indiana (48) and Clarion (48).
ALL-TIME SERIESEdinboro leads 45-11 Last Meeting: 2014-15 – Edinboro 77, at Mercyhurst 51
Edinboro dominated the action right from the opening tip, outscoring Mercyhurst, 47-26, in the first half and shot nearly 60 percent (59.4) from the field. After a 10-0 run by the Fighting Scots to build a 15-point lead at 30-15 with 7:41 remaining in the first half, Edinboro would never lead by less than 13 points the rest of the way. Four Fighting Scots scored in double digits in the win.
Lauren Hippo led the way with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-10 3-pointers.
Aignee' Freeland totaled 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Laurel Lindsay totaled 14 points, while
Valerie Majewski had 13. Edinboro shot 55.4 percent (31-of-56) from the field in the game, including 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from beyond the arc while holding the Lakers to just 31.9 percent (22-of-69) from the field and 2-of-13 from 3-point.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SCOTS Head Coach: Stan Swank (Purdue '76)Record at Edinboro: 519-285, 29
th year
Career Record: 519-285, 29
th year
Swank is in his 29
th season as the head coach at Edinboro and ranks as the all-time winningest coach in PSAC history and is also the longest tenured. He owns a career record of 519-285 at Edinboro, and over the course of the last previous seasons Edinboro has a 125-27 record. The Fighting Scots seek their seventh straight PSAC Tournament appearance and have won three PSAC championships during that span, the last coming in 2014. He entered the 2015-16 season tied for 12
thamong active Division II coaches in victories. That figure is tied for 24
th all-time in overall victories. He ranks 35
th in career winning percentage (.645). Edinboro finished with a 20-8 record a year ago, the fifth straight season with 20-or-more wins and the 11
th in Swank's career. He guided the Fighting Scots to a 16-6 record in the PSAC West, good for fourth place. Edinboro defeated Seton Hill, 68-53, in the first round of the PSAC Tournament before suffering a 71-63 loss to Indiana(Pa.) in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Scots qualified for the PSAC Tournament for the sixth straight year and 11th time in the last 12 years.
PLAYERS TO WATCHAignee' Freeland (F, 6'3", Sr.) – A two-time All-PSAC selection, Freeland joined the 1,000-point club as a junior, and ranks 20
th in career scoring with 1,198 points and sixth in career rebounds with 774. Freeland is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 ppg. and leads the team with 8.8 rpg. In this weekend's IUP-Lodestar Classic she averaged 9.5 ppg and 12.0 rpg. Her best performance of the week came in Edinboro's 76-33 win over Saint Augustine's as she totaled 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards.
Lauren Hippo (G, 5'10", Sr.) – the 5'10" senior is one of the top 3-point threats in the PSAC, and is ranked first at Edinboro in career 3-point field goal percentage (44.7 pct.) and sixth in career 3-pointers made (142), along with ninth in career 3-pointers attempted (329). She is also third in career free throw percentage (79.2 pct.). Hippo ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.9 ppg. During the two-day weekend Classic, Hippo averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.0 apg. In the win over Johnson C. Smith, Hippo scored 12 points and dished out five assists.
Katie Fischer (G, 5'7", Jr.) – the transfer from Mercyhurst is in her first season as a Fighting Scot. She played in 17 games a year ago for the Lakers, averaging 6.9 ppg. and making 17 of 35 3-pointers (48.6 percent). Fischer is off to an impressive start as a Fighting Scot. Fischer is Edinboro's leading scorer, averaging 15.8 ppg. Fischer ranks second in the PSAC with 6.9 apg. She also ranks second on the squad with a 38.5 percent (20-of-52) 3-point percentage. Over the weekend, she averaged 11.0 ppg and 6.5 apg.
Michelle Jahn (G, 5'8", Fr.) – the freshman from nearby General McLane high school has emerged as a dangerous 3-point threat. Jahn leads the team and ranks second in the PSAC with a 54.8 (17-of-31) 3-point percentage. She ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 ppg. Over the weekend, Jahn averaged a team-high 17.5 ppg. In the win over Saint Augustine's, she scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including going 5-of-7 from downtown. Jahn is a two-time PSAC Freshman of the Week.
PROBABLE STARTERSOFF THE BENCHSCOUTING THE LAKERSMercyhurst began the year with a three-game losing skid, but have since found their stride, winning three of the last four games. The Lakers returned four starters from last year's squad, which finished eighth in the PSAC West, in senior Adrienne Kloecker (12.0 ppg.), junior Natalie Piaggesi(15.1 ppg.), junior Alex Artise (7.8 ppg.) and sophomore Jessica Bell (5.2 ppg.)
Piagessi has picked up right where she left off last season, leading the team in scoring this season. She averages 13.4 ppg. and grabs 5.0 rpg. from her forward spot.
Head Coach: Deanna Richard (Wayne State '01)
Record at Mercyhurst: 143-235, 9
th year
Career Record: 205-327, 15
th year
Head coach Deanna Richard is in her ninth season at the helm of the Lakers' basketball team. She has guided Mercyhurst to PSAC Tournament bids twice in her career, most recently in 2012-13. Under her guidance, junior Natalie Piaggessi became the first player in program history to be named U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week. Richard came to Mercyhurst from Olivet where she spent six seasons as the head coach of the Comets and made the MIAA Tournament in all six years.
PROBABLE STARTERS | | | | | | PPG | RPG |
| G | 3 | Hayley Andres | 5-7 | Fr. | Franklin, Pa. | 6.3 | 5.9 |
| G | 11 | Adrienne Kloecker | 5-6 | Sr. | Erie, Pa. | 8.6 | 2.7 |
| F | 12 | Natalie Piaggesi | 6-1 | Jr. | Bethel Park, Pa. | 13.4 | 5.4 |
| F | 25 | Angela Heintz | 5-10 | Jr. | Bethel Park, Pa. | 12.9 | 5.0 |
| F | 33 | Jessica Bell | 5-10 | Jr. | Crown Point, Ind. | 12.9 | 5.6 |
NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS: Friday, December 4 at East Stroudsburg
