Davis leads LIU against Mercyhurst after 23-point showing

Mercyhurst Lakers (8-12, 2-3 NEC) at Long Island Sharks (9-11, 5-0 NEC)

New York; Monday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: LIU plays Mercyhurst after Malachi Davis scored 23 points in LIU's 64-51 win over the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash.

The Sharks have gone 5-3 in home games. LIU ranks seventh in the NEC with 12.5 assists per game led by Terell Strickland averaging 4.5.

The Lakers have gone 2-3 against NEC opponents. Mercyhurst is 4-10 in games decided by 10 points or more.

LIU is shooting 43.8% from the field this season, 3.3 percentage points lower than the 47.1% Mercyhurst allows to opponents. Mercyhurst has shot at a 42.4% rate from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points higher than the 41.5% shooting opponents of LIU have averaged.

The matchup Monday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Davis is averaging 17.6 points and 1.7 steals for the Sharks.

Jeff Planutis is scoring 14.0 points per game and averaging 2.3 rebounds for the Lakers.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sharks: 6-4, averaging 67.6 points, 33.7 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 7.8 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.4 points per game.

Lakers: 3-7, averaging 63.0 points, 24.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 7.3 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.7 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press