Mercyhurst Lakers @ West Virginia Mountaineers
Current Records: Mercyhurst 6-8, West Virginia 8-2
The West Virginia Mountaineers’ homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Mercyhurst Lakers at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 78.5 points per game this season.
West Virginia’s season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They were the clear victor by an 84-61 margin over Bethune-Cook. on Saturday. The Mountaineers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 23 points or more this season.
Javon Small was the offensive standout of the match as he posted 27 points along with six assists and six rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against NC Central last Tuesday, so this was a nice turnaround. Amani Hansberry was another key player, going 6 for 9 en route to 16 points plus six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Mercyhurst didn’t have quite enough to beat Binghamton on Wednesday and fell 62-60. The Lakers have now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Mercyhurst struggled to work together and finished the game with only six assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
West Virginia pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Mercyhurst, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.
Sunday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: West Virginia has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.4 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Mercyhurst, though, as they’ve been averaging only 27.5. Given West Virginia’s sizable advantage in that area, Mercyhurst will need to find a way to close that gap.…Read more by Scout Staff
