What to know about Mercyhurst before 1st-ever matchup with Syracuse
Mercyhurst women’s basketball is 0-10 while allowing the fourth-most points per game in Division I, posing little threat to the 10-1 Orange. Joe Zhao | Daily Orange File Photo
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During Syracuse’s sprint to a 10-1 start, it’s seen a variety of competition. SU cruised through its initial slate of nonconference games against mid-major programs, notably trouncing Canisius and Wagner. Then, the Orange got their first taste of Power Five competition in the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase, beating Utah before getting dismantled by then-No. 6 Michigan, the only ranked squad it’s faced thus far.
Syracuse continued to hang around with Power Five opponents in December, prevailing in overtime against Auburn in the ACC/SEC Challenge before winning its first Atlantic Coast Conference game over SMU four days later. The Orange have cleaned up against weaker programs in the final steps of nonconference play but are still fairly battle-tested.
To wrap up nonconference play, SU gets a highly favorable matchup Friday morning. Mercyhurst enters the JMA Wireless Dome after a horrendous start through 10 games.
Here’s everything to know about the Lakers (0-10, Northeastern) before they take on the Orange (10-1, 1-0 ACC):
All-time series
This is the two teams’ first-ever meeting.
The Lakers Report
Mercyhurst is off to an abysmal start in its second season as a Division I program. The Lakers finished 9-18 last season after making the jump to D-I last fall. However, through 10 games against stiffer competition, it appears they’ve regressed.
Mercyhurst has been one of the worst defensive teams in the country, allowing 82.6 points per game while opponents have posted the nation’s highest field goal percentage at 53.8%.
The Lakers lost their first 10 games by an average of 28.4 points. Their closest contest was an eight-point loss to Canisius on Nov. 30, which SU beat by 24 a few weeks prior. Mercyhurst’s nonconference slate has been ruthless, featuring three ranked matchups, including an 86-point loss to then-No. 23 Michigan State and a 50-point loss to then-No. 12 Iowa State.
While SU isn’t quite a top-25 team, Friday’s result could still be a comparable blowout. The Lakers just don’t appear to have answers defensively for any Power Five squad.
How Syracuse beats Mercyhurst
Frankly, all the Orange should need to do to secure a win Friday is set their alarms and get out of bed on time for an early 10:30 a.m. tip-off. On paper, Syracuse has Mercyhurst outmatched in just about every facet of the game.
The Lakers’ only real chance of pulling off a stunning upset would be blistering from beyond the arc. Mercyhurst holds the fourth-highest 3-point rate in the nation at 46.7%, and 46.5% of its points come from 3s, the third-highest mark of 363 D-I teams, per HerHoopStats. While they’re making 3s at just a 30.2% clip, perimeter shooting has been important to the Lakers’ game.
If it can come out guns blazing and consistently knock down the 3, Mercyhurst might have a chance of sticking around. But in reality, they don’t match up well with Syracuse down low.
Mercyhurst’s last starting lineup didn’t feature a player over 5-foot-11. SU has 11 players over 6 feet. SU center Uche Izoje has already tormented teams with her paint presence throughout her stellar freshman campaign, and Mercyhurst is her most favorable matchup yet. Expect her to feast near the rim and on the boards against an undersized group.
Stat to know: 25.4
There are a plethora of numbers that personify Mercyhurst’s dreadful start to its campaign, but perhaps none more than its lowly 25.4 rebounds per game, the worst mark in D-I, per HerHoopStats. The Lakers are hauling in 15.8 defensive boards a game, the fewest in the nation and just 9.6 offensive rebounds per contest.
The aforementioned height issue definitely plays a part. Redshirt freshman wing Gabby Sweeney is the Lakers’ only player over 6 feet, but she’s averaging just 1.9 boards on 11.3 minutes a game. Mercyhurst’s leading rebounder, Lena Walz, is pulling down 3.7 a game.
In contrast, Syracuse has been dominant on the boards, a key part of head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s philosophy. The Orange rank 24th in the country with 43.8 total rebounds per game and second nationally with 19.3 offensive boards.
In its last two contests against Colgate and Binghamton, SU tallied 30 and 26 offensive rebounds, respectively. If that trend is any indication, the Orange should dominate on the glass against the nation’s worst-rebounding team, leading to loads of second-chance opportunities offensively.
Player to watch: Erica Hall, No. 32
Erica Hall, a 5-foot-11 forward, has undoubtedly been a bright spot for the Lakers in her sophomore campaign. She’s started eight of Mercyhurst’s 10 contests, hitting her stride as of late.
Last time out against Mount St. Mary’s, Hall dropped a season-high 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds. She also tallied 13 points shooting 5-of-6 against then-No. 25 West Virginia on Dec. 5.
Hall’s been given the green light recently, and, as one of the Lakers’ tallest starters, she’ll likely be relied upon to compete on the glass against Syracuse. She’s averaging 3.5 boards a game, the second-highest mark on the team.
It won’t be an easy task, but if Hall can get going from inside the arc, it might help balance the 3-point barrage the Lakers will need to pull off a stunning upset against the Orange.
