Men: Mercyhurst at SFU

Tipoff: 7 p.m. DeGol Arena, Loretto

Records: Mercyhurst (8-8, 0-1 Northeast); Saint Francis (5-11, 0-2 Northeast)

TV: NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh, play-by-play; Bernie Jubeck, color analyst)

Notable: Mercyhurst fell, 62-50, at home against CCSU on Sunday. The Lakers are in their first season in the Northeast Conference. … Jeff Planutis leads the team with 14.8 points per game, while Aidan Reichert has a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game and averages 12.4 points per game. Bernie Blunt III is third on the team with 10.2 points per game. … SFU junior Riley Parker has scored double figures in three consecutive games. He averages 17.3 points per game in that stretch with two contests of 19 points or more, including 21 points at Robert Morris on Dec. 21.

Mirror prediction: Saint Francis 72, Mercyhurst 68

Mirror prediction record: 14-2

— Dan Isenberg

Red Flash fall short at home

LORETTO — Despite a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, the Saint Francis women’s basketball team fell to Fairleigh Dickinson, 63-55 Thursday night.

The Red Flash came into the game with a 3-12 record while FDU was 11-3.

Marissa Shelton led Saint Francis (NEC 1-2) with 15 points to go with 10 points each from Julianna Gibson and Jade Campbell.

FDU, which led 18-11 after one quarter of play and 46-36 going into the final frame, got 22 pints from Teneisa Brown to go with 12 points from Abaigeal Babore.

The Red Flash host Le Moyne College Saturday.

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (55): Brown 10-14 2-5 22, Babore 3-7 4-4 12, Conklin 1-5 6-6 8, Renninger 3-12 0-0 6, Parke 2-5 0-0 5, Osei-Owusu 4-4 1-3 9, Williams 0-0 1-2 1, Toomey 0-3 0-0 0, McDonald 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 23-51 14-20 63.

SAINT FRANCIS (55): Shelton 5-7 2-3 15, Bell 3-8 0-4 6, Plata 2-5 1-2 5, Boyd 2-11 0-0 4, Artero 1-1 0-0 2, Gibson 5-10 0-0 10, Campbell 4-6 2-2 10, Robinson 1-2 0-0 2, Walker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-50 5-11 55.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Fairleigh Dickinson 18 13 15 17 — 63

Saint Francis 11 15 10 19 — 55

Three-point field goals: FDU 3-17 (Babore 2-5, Conklin 0-2, Renninger 0-5, Parke 1-3, Toomey 0-1, McDonald 0-1); SFU 4-7 (Shelton 3-4, Boyd 0-2, Robinson 1-1). Rebounds: FDU 31 (4 tied with 6); SFU 29 (Bell 6). Assists: FDU 13 (2 tied with 3); SFU 14 (2 tied with 4). Attendance: 156.

Wildfires wreak havoc on pro, college

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area.

It was the second straight day a game slated to be played in downtown Los Angeles was postponed. The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings were scheduled to host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

The dates for the rescheduled games have not been announced. The Kings said tickets for their postponed game against Calgary will be good for the rescheduled date.

Several major fires were burning in areas of the vast Los Angeles metroplex following two days of extraordinary winds. A major threat broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, close to the heart of the entertainment industry, but had been contained by Thursday morning.

Roughly 180,000 people are under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard abruptly left the team before its game at Denver on Wednesday because of what the team described as personal reasons. Leonard bought a house in Pacific Palisades in 2021.

“You definitely have to take care of home. … Totally had my support 100 percent,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Going back, checking on his family and kids, making sure they’re well. And he got back, and they’re doing OK, so just happy and thankful for that.”

The West Coast Conference postponed women’s basketball games scheduled for Thursday night at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

Pepperdine was scheduled to face Portland at Firestone Field House on the school’s Malibu campus. Pepperdine canceled classes Wednesday, and access to its coastal campus was restricted.

Loyola Marymount had its game against San Diego postponed as a precautionary measure due to air quality concerns inside Gersten Pavilion while the facility is being renovated.