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Fighting Scots to Wrap Up 2018-19 Campaign at Local Rival Mercyhurst
Sophomore guard Jaryn Simpson

Fighting Scots to Wrap Up 2018-19 Campaign at Local Rival Mercyhurst

Men's Basketball / 2/28/2019 1:23:00 PM
EDINBORO Fighting Scots (9-16, 6-14 PSAC West) at MERCYHURST Lakers (19-6, 14-6 PSAC West)    
Saturday, March 2, 2019, 3:00 PM | Mercyhurst Athletic Center | Erie, Pa.
LINKS: LIVE STATS | AUDIO-WFSE 88.9 l WATCH


ADDITIONAL LINKS
EDINBORO: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
MERCYHURST: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

The Game Story
  • Edinboro wraps up the 2018-19 season on Saturday at local rival Mercyhurst. The Fighting Scots were eliminated from the PSAC West playoff race with Wednesday's loss to second-ranked Indiana(Pa.). That leaves the Scots with a 9-16 overall record and 6-14 in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst had won 11 of its last 12 games before Wednesday, when an off-shooting night led to a 71-58 loss at Pitt-Johnstown. The Lakers are locked in as the third seed in the PSAC West with a 14-6 league record and 19-6 overall. They are ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings released on Wednesday.  
  • The PSAC West playoff picture is almost set. Indiana(Pa.) (18-2) will be the number one seed, Slippery Rock (16-4) second, Mercyhurst (14-6) third, and Pitt-Johnstown (11-10) fourth. Gannon (8-12) and Seton Hill (7-13) have clinched the final berths, but Saturday's results will determine who will be the fifth and sixth seeds.      
  • Despite Wednesday's loss to IUP, the Fighting Scots played their best basketball of the season in February. They have won four of their last seven games. Head coach Pat Cleary's team has had to do without returning All-PSAC West performer Anthony Coleman for all but four games this year, and double-figure scorer DeAnthony Owens (12.9 ppg.) has missed nine games, including the IUP contest.  
  • The Fighting Scots come into the game ranked 11th in the PSAC in scoring at 73.6 ppg., along with 16th in scoring defense (82.7 ppg.). Mercyhurst is one of the top defensive teams in the country, allowing a league-best 60.7 ppg. which ranks second nationally. The Lakers are also 22nd in Division II in field goal percentage defense (41.3 pct.). Offensively, Mercyhurst ranks ninth in the PSAC at 76.4 pct.       
  • Head coach Pat Cleary was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year after leading Edinboro to an 18-11 record a year ago. It marked the finest year of his five-year reign after Edinboro had been picked to finish eighth in the Western Division.
On the Radio/Video
  • The Edinboro-Mercyhurst game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Chris Rosato and Tommy Taylor providing the commentary. The contest will also be streamed as part of the PSAC Sports Network.
 
All-Time Series vs. Mercyhurst
  • Edinboro leads 48-39: Mercyhurst has won nine of the last ten meetings.
  • First Meeting: 1972-73 – Mercyhurst 71, Edinboro 64
  • Last Meeting: 2018-19 – Mercyhurst 90, Edinboro 59
  • Current Streak: Mercyhurst has won the last six meetings.
  • Cleary vs. Mercyhurst: 1-10
Last Meeting
January 30, 2019 – Mercyhurst 92, Edinboro 84 at Edinboro, Pa. BOX | RECAP
  • Better known for its defense, Mercyhurst could barely miss in the first half while jumping out to a 53-27 lead at intermission. The Lakers shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the first half (22-of-33), making 14 of their first 17 shots. The Fighting Scots remained within striking distance for the first ten minutes, but were done in by a 19-1 run, including 16 straight points. That boosted Mercyhurst's lead from 34-24 to 53-25 as Edinboro went scoreless for over five minutes. Mercyhurst would end the game shooting 58.1 percent, including 10-of-23 on 3-pointers, for their sixth straight win.
  • Trey Staunch and Jaryn Simpson paced the Fighting Scots with 15 points apiece, with Simpson grabbing a team-high eight rebounds while making 3-of-6 3-pointers. Staunch pulled down seven boards.  Daylon Harris and Alex Jay also had seven rebounds.
  • Mercyhurst had four players reach double figures, led by Nelson Maxwell's 24 points. Jason Massey finished with 18 points, MiyKah McIntosh 14, and Nicholas Lang 12.
  • Facing the second stingiest defense in Division II at just over 60 ppg., Edinboro shot 38.2 percent from the floor (21-of-55), making 8-of-21 3-pointers, while going 9-of-13 at the free throw line.
  • The rebound battle was dead even at 33-33, but Edinboro was guilty of 18 turnovers compared to eight for the Lakers. That led to a 29-5 advantage in points off turnovers. In addition, Mercyhurst outscored the Scots, 40-24, in the paint.
 
Head Coach Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99) -- 74-85, 6th Year
  • 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.
  • 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. Two years 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. 
  • The 2017-18 Fighting Scots were picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West Coaches' Preseason Poll. They would surprise the league with a fourth place finish at 13-9 in league play, and 18-11 overall. Edinboro would defeat Pitt-Johnstown in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament, then hand top-seeded Indiana(Pa.) a defeat in the quarterfinals. The playoff run came to an end with a loss to eventual PSAC champion East Stroudsburg in the semifinals. It marked Edinboro's first appearance in the PSAC Final Four since 2008.
  • Cleary was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year. The 18 wins were the most by the Fighting Scots since the 2012-13 team won 18 games.  
  • 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.
Scouting the Fighting Scots
  • Edinboro concludes the 2018-19 season at local rival Mercyhurst looking for its fifth win in the last eight contests. Included in that stretch was a win over Pitt-Johnstown, plus a road victory in overtime at Gannon, both PSAC playoffs teams. Edinboro has a 9-16 overall record and is 6-14 in PSAC action. The Scots was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason after finishing fourth in the division with an 18-11 record a year ago.  
  • The Fighting Scots suffered an 87-59 loss to second-ranked Indiana(Pa.) on Wednesday. The hot-shooting Crimson Hawks finished at 52.3 percent from the floor, making 16-of-35 3-pointers. Edinboro, meanwhile, suffered through one of its worst shooting nights of the season at 33.9 percent.  
  • Jaryn Simpson has enjoyed a breakthrough sophomore campaign after averaging 3.4 ppg. as a freshman.  Simpson is averaging 18.1 ppg., good for eighth in the PSAC. He has had 11 games with 20-or-more points, and also had Edinboro's first triple-double since Ryan McLemore had one against Slippery Rock on February 13, 2008. Simpson scored a game-high 25 points, adding a career-high 14 rebounds and matching his career-best with 11 assists against Pitt-Johnstown. He has scored in double figures in 22 of 25 games. He scored a career-high 34 points vs. Bloomsburg and 33 in the first meeting with Pitt-Johnstown. Simpson leads the PSAC in free throw percentage at 89.7 percent.    That figure will break the school record of 88.2 percent set by Roy Stauffer in 1972-73 if it is maintained. He is also fifth in 3-point field goals made per game (3.0), tied for sixth in assists (4.5 per game), and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.5 pct.). Simpson has made 74-of-203 3-pointers, with the 74 triples ranking ninth in a season. He has also become Edinboro's latest ironman, ranking fifth in the PSAC in minutes (37.2 per game).
  • While Simpson has provided plenty of outside firepower,Trey Staunch is Edinboro's inside presence. A 6'4", 280 lb. senior who earned second team All-PSAC West honors as an offensive tackle, he is in his second season on the hardcourt. Staunch is averaging 14.2 ppg., second on the team, and comes in with a team-leading 7.3 rpg. He ranks seventh in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 51.7 percent, and is also second on the team in assists with 46.  He has three double-doubles in the last four games, including a career-high 23 points last Saturday against Clarion, while matching his career high with 12 rebounds.  He has had six double-doubles in all. Staunch has scored in double figures in 21 of 24 games.
  • DeAnthony Owens has played a major role of late after sitting out eight straight games. He saw just three minutes of action in one contest due to an injury, but has averaged 18.3 ppg. over the previous three games before missing the IUP contest with an injury. The junior guard had a 23-point effort at Slippery Rock that included four big dunks. In 16 games, the 6'4" transfer from New Mexico JC is averaging 12.9 ppg. and has made 27-of-79 3-pointers.
  • Turner Kurt has started the last 15 contests at forward. The 6'8" freshman is averaging 8.9 ppg. and 4.3 rpg., and has made 40-of-101 3-pointers. He also has a team-high 18 blocked shots. Kurt registered his first career double-double against Seton Hill recently with 10 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
  • Alex Jay is another sophomore who has stepped up in his second year. Jay was forced to play extended minutes with the season-ending injury to Anthony Coleman. The 6'3" forward has responded with 6.1 ppg. and 5.5  rpg., the latter figure second on the team. He has scored in double figures in two of the last three games, averaging 10.0 ppg. and 8.3 rpg. 
Scouting the Lakers   
  • Mercyhurst was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West, and comes in as one of the hottest teams in the conference. The Lakers had won 11 of their last 12 games before suffering a 71-58 loss at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday. They have a 19-6 overall record and are 14-6 in the PSAC West, locking down the third seed in the PSAC Tournament. The Lakers are ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region poll released this past Wednesday.          
  • Head coach Gary Manchel is the winningest coach in Mercyhurst history with a 269-179 record, and is in his 16th season at the helm of the Lakers. Add in nine years as the head coach at UMass Lowell and Manchel owns a career ledger of 400-304, picking up career win number 400 last Saturday at Gannon. His Mercyhurst teams have made the league tournament in 15 out of his 16 years (GLIAC and PSAC combined). He was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2016. He is in search of his fourth 20-win season at Mercyhurst, and first since 2015-16.
  • Manchel's 2018-19 edition is similar to most of his teams – deep and with a penchant for defense. The Lakers rank first in the PSAC and second in Division II in scoring defense at 60.7 ppg. They have held 12 opponents to less than 60 points. Mercyhurst ranks second in the PSAC and 22nd nationally in field goal percentage defense (41.3 pct.).
  • Nine Lakers are averaging 11-or-more minutes, although Manchel has started the same five players for all 25 games.  Jason Massey leads the way at 15.6 ppg., along with 6.0 rpg. The 6'4" guard totaled 18 points in the first meeting. A graduate student, Massey previously played at Brown University.
  • Nelson Maxwell, a former transfer from Cleveland State, adds 11.3 ppg., including 24 points in the first meeting with the Scots. The 6'0" senior is shooting 51.8 percent on 3-pointers (44-of-85). That is slightly behind teammate Trystan Pratapas, a transfer from Keiser CC, who leads the PSAC at 52.5 percent (52-of-99). Maxwell falls just below the qualifying figure. As a team, Mercyhurst leads the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage (39.6 pct.).
  • MiyKah McIntosh, a 5'11" guard, is third on the team in scoring at 8.5 ppg. while starting all 25 games as a freshman. He has made 44-of-138 3-pointers.      
  • Patrick Smith, a 6'5", 240 lb. senior, is the team's top rebounder at 8.7 rpg., which ranks sixth in the PSAC, while adding 8.3 ppg. Smith and Edvaldo Ferreira, a 6'5" senior, are a potent pair in the middle, combining for 59 blocked shots.
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