ESU (21-6, 17-3) vs. Mercyhurst (22-6, 15-6)
PSAC Semifinal (at IUP) |  Saturday, March 9  |  1 PM
* Game Notes (PDF)
* Radio: espnpoconos.com
* Live Video
* Live Stats

THE MATCHUP

ESU, the defending PSAC and DII Atlantic Region champions, takes a 10-game winning streak into Saturday's PSAC semifinal matchup against Mercyhurst. IUP, the host of this weekend's Final Four, will take on West Chester in the second semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Winners will advance to the PSAC championship game at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

R-Sr. G Jakwan Jones scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half, helping ESU secure a 92-79 victory over Kutztown in a PSAC quarterfinal at Koehler Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Fr. F Ryan Smith totaled 16 points (12-14 FT), while Fr. G Shamir Johnson and R-So. G Troy Jones added 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench for the Warriors. ESU used a decisive 10-0 run midway through the second half to break open what had been a 63-63 tie.

SERIES HISTORY
ESU leads 8-3 in a series which began in 1989. The Warriors earned a 78-61 home victory during a regular season matchup between the two sides on Dec. 1. Jakwan Jones totaled 22 points (10-10 FT), seven rebounds and six assists, while R-Sr. F Josh Williams added 18 points and Jr. F Michal Weiss had 14 points (7-9 FG) starting in place Smith, who missed the game due to an illness.

This will be the third postseason meeting between the teams. The Warriors knocked off the Lakers during their runs to PSAC titles in both 2012 and 2014, winning 66-58 in the 2012 conference semifinals and 63-55 in the 2014 semis.

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
The Lakers (22-6, 15-6) have advanced to the Final Four for the first time since claiming their lone PSAC championship in 2016. Leading scorer Jason Massey (15.6 ppg), a graduate student transfer from Division I Brown University, was named first team All-PSAC West on Thursday. 

Sr. F Pat Smith was a second team All-PSAC West honoree; he has grabbed double-digit rebounds in seven of Mercyhurst's last nine contests. The Lakers are 14-2 since Jan. 12, including a 64-63 victory at current national No. 2 IUP on Feb. 2.

After entering last week with three-career 20+ point games, Jakwan Jones has set new career scoring highs in each of the past two contests. He totaled 25 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3FG) at Millersville last Saturday, and shot 9 of 12 from the field (4-7 3FG) during his 26-point output vs. Kutztown. Jones also dished out nine assists while committing only a single turnover in Wednesday's quarterfinal. The senior co-captain is currently No. 2 all-time at ESU in assists (480), No. 3 in steals (205) and No. 1 in free throw percentage (86.1, 223-259).

TROY JONES, JOHNSON STEP UP IN RESERVE ROLE
      R-So. G Troy Jones and Fr. G Shamir Johnson were key factors in helping ESU withstand a first-half charge from Kutztown in Wednesday's quarterfinal. The duo combined for 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench during the opening half (11 from Jones, seven from Johnson), allowing the Warriors to enter the intermission trailing just 46-44 despite the Golden Bears shooting 68.0% (17-25) from the field. Johnson would go on to match his season high with 12 points overall in the contest.

OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE
Saturday's semifinal will match up the PSAC's top scoring offense and the league's stingiest defense. ESU, which leads the PSAC at 87.7 points per game this season, has scored 85+ points in 11 of its last 13 contests. Mercyhurst, which tops the conference in both points allowed (60.5) and scoring margin (+16.1), has held opponents under 70 points in 14 of the last 16 games dating back to Jan. 12.

SMITH'S STREAK UP TO 20
Fr. F Ryan Smith reached double figures for a 20th consecutive game after totaling 16 points in 32 minutes vs. Kutztown. He hit 12 of 14 free throw attempts to extend the streak, with his 12 made shots from the charity stripe the most by any Warrior player this season. Smith is one of four ESU players in the last 15 seasons to score 10+ points in 20 or more consecutive games.

ALL-AROUND EFFORT FOR WILLIAMS
R-Sr. F Josh Williams was held under 10 points for the first time since Jan. 2 on Wednesday, but he still contributed a team-high 11 rebounds and four blocks to go along with nine points in ESU's 92-79 victory. Williams is now averaging 1.7 blocks per game on the year, a total which ranks third among PSAC performers. He has multiple blocks in seven of the last nine games, averaging 2.4 rejections per contest during that span.