• Edinboro plays the second of three straight games on the road, making the short trip to Erie to face local rival Mercyhurst. The Fighting Scots had previously played five of their last six games at McComb Fieldhouse, and they did not leave Erie County for the sixth game, playing at Gannon. They have lost three of their last four contests while facing a key stretch of the schedule. Over the past three weeks' coach Pat Cleary's team has lost a pair of games in the final two seconds, and have faced the meet of their schedule against some of the top teams in the PSAC, including Kutztown, Indiana(Pa.), Gannon, and Slippery Rock. Following Wednesday's game at Mercyhurst, the Fighting Scots receive a well-deserved bye on Saturday, January 27, before beginning the second half of PSAC West action at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, January 31. Edinboro returns home to play California(Pa.) on Saturday, February 3.
• Edinboro fell into fourth in the PSAC West on Saturday following an 88-82 loss to Slippery Rock. The Fighting Scots, picked to finish eighth in the Western Division in the PSAC coaches' preseason poll, come in with an 11-6 overall record and are 8-5 in the conference. Mercyhurst was picked to finish third in the PSAC West coaches' preseason poll. The Lakers come off a 67-47 win over California(Pa.) on Saturday to even their record at 8-8 overall and 4-7 in the PSAC. Mercyhurst is undefeated at home with a 7-0 record, and are outscoring opponents by almost 20 points.
• The Fighting Scots rank eighth in the PSAC in both scoring offense (79.3 ppg.) and scoring defense (74.8 ppg.). Mercyhurst is only 17^th in scoring offense at 67.2 ppg., but the Lakers lead the PSAC and rank fourth in Division II in scoring defense (64.1 ppg.). Only four teams have reached 70 points against Mercyhurst, and the Lakers have held six opponents under 60 points. They are also fourth in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (41.8 pct.), and rebounding margin (+5.1).
• Edinboro holds a 48-36 lead in the all-time series with Mercyhurst, but the Lakers have won seven of the last eight meetings. The lone Fighting Scots' triumph was a 77-67 win at Mercyhurst during the 2015-16 season. The last four meetings have all been decided by 110 points or more.
• The Fighting Scots have relied on a trio of players for the majority of the offense. The threesome of Keshawn Liggins, Anthony Coleman, and Jaymon Mason combine for over 56 points per game. After posting his sixth 30-point game with 36 points vs. Clarion, Liggins recorded his 10^th double-double against Slippery Rock with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He ranks second in the PSAC and eighth in Division II in scoring at 23.3 ppg. He is also third in the conference and 15^th nationally in rebounding at 10.4 rpg. Last week, he was named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List.  Anthony Coleman and Jaymon Mason add 17.3 and 15.9 ppg., respectively. The threesome has combined for 30-or-more points ten times.      
• Jaymon Mason has moved up to second in career scoring at Edinboro. The redshirt senior guard now has 1,803 points. He needs 152 points to break the career scoring record of 1,954 points, held by Tyrone Mason, his father.

Edinboro on Radio/Video

• The Edinboro-Mercyhurst game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9.   
• In addition, this year Edinboro is part of the PSAC Network. All men's and women's home basketball games will be streamed live through Stretch Internet. 

• Edinboro leads 48-36: Mercyhurst has won seven of the last eight meetings.
• First Meeting: 1972-73 – Mercyhurst 71, Edinboro 64
• Last Meeting: 2016-17 – Mercyhurst 81, Edinboro 71
• Current Streak: Mercyhurst won the last three meetings.
• Cleary vs. Mercyhurst: 1-7

• Edinboro suffered an 81-71 loss at Mercyhurst and was mathematically eliminated from PSAC playoff contention. The Fighting Scots played for the sixth time in the last seven games with only seven players suiting up.
• Sheldon Brogdon led Edinboro with 17 points, while Maceo Baston had 16 points. Jaymon Mason contributed 14 points, and Mike Beck was a fourth Fighting Scot in double digits with 10 markers. Jon Girvin pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds.
• Lorenzo Collier scored a game-high 24 points for Mercyhurst and collected nine rebounds. Durrell McDonald had 18 points, while John Majors finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
• Mercyhurst held a slim 36-34 lead at halftime, with neither team leading by more than five points lead during the first 20 minutes. The Lakers opened the second half with a 12-1 run to build the lead to 48-35, with 17:45 to play. Edinboro's deficit would grow to 17 points at 69-52 lead with 8:51 to play, before an 8-0 run tightened Mercyhurst's lead to nine points at 69-60 with 6:20 to go. That would be as close as the Fighting Scots would come, however, as the Lakers used a 7-2 run to build the lead back to 76-62 with 3:10 to go.
• The Lakers led, 16-10, in points off turnovers, including forcing the Fighting Scots into 10 second-half turnovers for 14 points. Edinboro committed 15 turnovers overall, while forcing Mercyhurst into 13 turnovers for the game. The Fighting Scots were held to just 22 shooting attempts in the second half, making 10 of them, while the Lakers shot 14-for-35 in the closing half. Mercyhurst also held an edge in points in the paint, 38-24, and outrebounded Edinboro, 44-35.
• The Fighting Scots shot 39.7 percent for the game (23-for-58), making 5-for-15 from 3-point range and 20-for-26 from the free throw line. The Lakers made 43.3 percent from the field (29-for-67), shooting 8-for-21 from behind the arc and 15-for-21 from the charity stripe. Mercyhurst also held an edge in points in the paint, 38-24, and outrebounded Edinboro, 44-35. Edinboro committed 15 turnovers, while forcing Mercyhurst into 13 turnovers.
   

• Pat Cleary was introduced as Edinboro's tenth head coach on March 26, 2013 after head coach Greg Walcavich announced his retirement. Cleary served as Walcavich's assistant coach for 14 years.
• The 9-2 start is the best since Cleary took over as head coach. 
• Cleary's first three teams improved each year since his appointment, with his 2015-16 team earning the third seed in the PSAC West Tournament with a 15-11 overall record and 14-8 league mark. A year ago the Fighting Scots came in at 8-18 overall and 6-16 in the PSAC West, with injuries forcing the Fighting Scots to suit up as few as seven players in February.
• He guided Edinboro to the PSAC Tournament for the first time in 2014-15 with a 14-13 record, a four-game improvement over his first year, after being chosen to finish eighth in the PSAC West preseason poll. His first Boro squad finished 10-16 in 2013-14.

• Gary Manchel is the winningest coach in Mercyhurst history with 245 wins. He led the Lakers to their first PSAC Championship in 2016 and their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. His teams have made the league tournament in 14 out of his 15 years (GLIAC and PSAC combined). The Vermont alum was named PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2016.
• Manchel spent nine years as head coach at UMass Lowell from 1992-2001. He was named NE-10 Coach of the Year in 2001 after leading the River Hawks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Before joining Mercyhurst, he served two years as an assistant coach at Ohio. Manchel was also an assistant coach at Yale and served as a graduate assistant coach at Slippery Rock.

• Edinboro enters the Mercyhurst contest with an 11-6 overall record and is 8-5 in the PSAC West under fifth-year head coach Pat Cleary. The Fighting Scots have already bettered last year's win total of eight victories. They are currently fourth in the PSAC West, one game ahead of Pitt-Johnstown. After playing five of their last six games at McComb Fieldhouse, the Fighting Scots are in the midst of three straight road games. That stretch began last Saturday with an 88-82 loss at Slippery Rock in a battle for third place in the Western Division. While losing four of their last six games, three of the losses have been by a combined 11 points.
• Two of Edinboro's losses have come on buzzer-beaters in the last three weeks. The Kutztown setback came on a basket with 0.8 seconds remaining, as the Golden Bears prevailed 91-89. A week later, Edinboro again lost in the final seconds as IUP hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 ticks showing for a 70-67 win.
• Edinboro is averaging 79.3 ppg., ranking eighth in the PSAC in scoring offense. The Fighting Scots had topped the 80-point mark in five straight games before being held to 69 points by Gannon, the top defensive team in the PSAC. They were then held to 67 by IUP, another of the conference's top defensive units. Now they face a Mercyhurst team which now leads the PSAC and ranks fourth in the country in scoring defense. Edinboro ranks eighth in the PSAC in scoring defense at 74.8 ppg.
• Keshawn Liggins, Anthony Coleman, and Jaymon Mason are combining for over 56 points per game. Each is capable of putting up big numbers. One of them has scored 30-or-more points in ten games, with Liggins reaching the mark in six contests. The latest came last Wednesday, as he scored 36 points in the 86-73 win over Clarion. He dropped in a career-high 39 points vs. Seton Hill. Coleman posted a season-best 32-point effort at Gannon recently, and had 30 points in the upset of then eighth-ranked Shippensburg. When Coleman led Edinboro with 19 points at Lock Haven, it marked the only time Edinboro has not had a scorer reach 20 points.  Mason has now had 15 career 30-point games after scoring a season-high 33 points against Kutztown, his second 30-point effort of the year. He had 32 points vs. Daemen.
• Second all-time leading scorer and preseason All-American Jaymon Mason battled an early-season injury but is now healthy and playing up to his normal standards. The senior guard had a season-high 33-point effort against Kutztown, making 13-of-15 free throws. He had 32 points at Daemen, dropping in 6-of-12 3-pointers while going 10-of-11 at the charity stripe.  Mason is averaging 15.9 ppg., is second on the team with 60 assists, and has made 39-of-110 3-pointers. The senior guard moved into second place in career scoring against Pitt-Johnstown and now has 1,803 career points. He is also fifth in career assists with 375. 
• Keshawn Liggins was named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List last week. He had his tenth double-double at Slippery Rock with 23 points and 12 rebounds, adding five assists. He has pulled down 10-or-more rebounds in 11 contests. The 6'5" senior ranks second in the PSAC in scoring (23.3 ppg.) and eighth in Division II, and is third and 15^th, respectively, in rebounding (10.4 rpg.). After scoring 36 points (16-of-22 FGs, 4-of-6 FTs) against Clarion, Liggins has now had six games of 30-or-more points. He scored a career-high 39 points vs. Seton Hill and 38 against Charleston. Liggins is a transfer from Idaho State and has been an ironman, ranking fifth in the country in minutes per game (38.2). His ten double-doubles ranks second in the PSAC and eighth in Division II.
• Anthony Coleman is a multi-faceted scorer who can burn the opposition from deep, or drive strong to the basket. The transfer from Cincinnati State CC displayed the former vs. Gannon as he burned the Golden Knights for a season-high 32 points, making 7-of-12 3-pointers. The latter was in evidence against Clarion, as the 6'3" guard consistently drove to the hoop, ending the night with 24 points (8-of-12 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs). He added 10 rebounds for his first double-double. Coleman has had six games of 20-or-more points, including 30 points in an upset of Shippensburg. He is the top 3-point threat on the team, making 49-of-114 3-pointers. He ranks third in the PSAC in 3-point percentage (43.0 pct.) and is fifth in 3-pointers made per game (2.9).  
• The Fighting Scots posted the biggest win in Cleary's four-plus seasons as head coach, an 88-86 triumph over eighth-ranked Shippensburg, earlier this year. Edinboro had previously upset 16^th-ranked Indiana(Pa.), 79-77 in overtime, in 2014-15. 
• Offensive lineman Trey Staunch, a former standout in football and basketball at West Middlesex High School, continues to play a key role for the Fighting Scots. In 14 games he is playing just over 14 minutes per game, averaging 5.8 ppg. and 2.4 rpg. A two-year starter at right tackle, the 6'4", 265 lb. junior joined the basketball team at the conclusion of the football season. He comes off his top scoring output of the season, muscling his way for 14 points in 23 minutes at Slippery Rock.      
• The combination of Jack Frank  and Staunch is providing the Fighting Scots with plenty of production in the post. Frank, a 6'8" junior, is Edinboro's second-leading rebounder at 7.1 per game. He pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds vs. California(Pa.) and added 11 vs. Clarion.
• Mike Beck scored 19 points in the win over Millersville, and had a 13-point effort against Clarion. The 6'4" senior is averaging 5.8 ppg. with 21 3-pointers in 63 attempts. His biggest contributions have come on defense, as he has been assigned some of the top scorers in the PSAC.
• The freshman tandem of Alex Jay and Jaryn Simpson possesses some impressive genes and have provided the Fighting Scots with valuable minutes. Jay is the son of Sarah (Bishop) Jay, who ranks fourth in career scoring for the Edinboro women's basketball team, Simpson's father Bronze, is one of the all-time leading scorers and rebounders at Gannon. Jay, a 6'3" guard, is averaging 4.1 ppg. in 14.5 minutes per game and has made 15-of-40 3-pointers. Simpson, a 6'1" guard, is also playing 14.9 minutes per game and averaging 3.7 ppg. with 35 assists.  

• Mercyhurst evened its record at 8-8 with a 67-47 record over California(Pa.) on Saturday. That also boosted the Lakers to 4-7 in PSAC action as they seek their ninth straight year in the PSAC Tournament. They were picked to finish third in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll. Lorenzo Collier paced the Lakers with 20 points, all in the second half. Malcolm Walters added 15 points while Patrick Smith pulled down 13 rebounds.
• Head coach Gary Manchel's teams have always featured plenty of depth and outstanding defense. This year is no exception. The Lakers ranks first in the PSAC and fourth in Division II in scoring defense at 64.1 ppg. Only four teams have reached 70 points against Mercyhurst, and the Lakers have held six opponents under 60 points. They average 67.2 ppg. on offense, good for 17^th in the PSAC. They are fourth in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (41.8 pct.), and rebounding margin (+5.1). Manchel makes full use of a deep bench, with 11 players averaging over nine minutes per game.   
• Mercyhurst has yet to lose at home, going 7-0 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Even more imposing, the Lakers outscore the opposition at the MAC by an average of 77.1 ppg. to 56.0 ppg.
• The Lakers showcase a pair of players in double digits in Lorenzo Collier and Malcolm Walters. The duo also represents most of the Lakers' threat from beyond the 3-point arc, combining for 73 of Mercyhurst's 99 3-pointers. Collier, a 6'3" senior, averages a team-leading 15.6 ppg. after scoring 20 points in Saturday's win over California(Pa.), all in the second half. He has made 39-of-109 3-pointers. Walters, a 6'2" senior, is a former transfer from Akron who comes in at 13.9 ppg. with 34 3-pointers in 94 attempts.
• Patrick Smith and Walters are the only Lakers to start all 16 games. A 6'5", 240 lb. junior, Smith is the team's leading rebounder at 8.6 per game while scoring 7.9 ppg. He is a former Navy veteran who previously played at Montgomery CC.  
        

• CAREER SCORING: Second all-time with 1,803 points. 
• CAREER SCORING AVERAGE:  Fourth at 18.8 ppg.
• CAREER 3-POINTERS: Is second in career 3-pointers made with 206 3-pointers made and is second in career 3-pointers attempted with 537. Is also seventh in career 3-point field goal percentage at 38.4 percent 
• CAREER FREE THROWS MADE: Broke Bryan Theriot's school record of 402 free throws made in the season opener. Mason now holds the record with 467.   
• CAREER FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED:  Ranks first with 557 free throw attempts.
• CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE:  Ranks sixth at 83.7 percent
• CAREER ASSISTS:  Is fifth with 375
• CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE:  Ranks seventh with 565
• CAREER FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED:  Ranks fifth with 1,327