Feb. 15, 2008

Erie, Pa. - Despite Thursday's loss at No. 7 Findlay, the Mercyhurst men's basketball team clinched one of the eight spots in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament. It will be the Lakers' third-straight appearance.

Mercyhurst, 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the conference is currently in the No. 3 seed from the South Division, leading Saturday's opponent Ashland by a one and a half games with two to play.

The top three teams from each division receive automatic berths and two more teams, regardless of the division, make the tournament as wild cards.

Gannon currently leads the South Division with a 14-1 GLIAC record and Findlay is second with an 11-3 mark. Hillsdale is one game behind Mercyhurst with a 7-8 record. The North Division has been clinched by No. 2 Grand Valley State, Michigan Tech is second with a 7-8 record and Northern Michigan is third with a 6-9 mark.

Mercyhurst is assured a berth because they are among the top eight teams in the conference according to record and the Lakers lead the ninth place team by three games.

Should Mercyhurst and Hillsdale finish tied, the Lakers hold the tie breaker thanks to a head-to-head sweep.

Seeding for the the tournament has yet to be determined. The quarterfinals will begin on March 1 with the top two seeds from each division hosting the lower four seeds.

Mercyhurst has appeared the GLIAC Tournament four times in the five seasons of head coach Gary Manchel's tenure.