ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst basketball programs have announced details surrounding their doubleheader with rival Gannon on Saturday, February 8. The games will begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. with an alumni event and National Girls and Women in Sports Day activities going on throughout the day. The game is also part of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's (PSAC) "Hooping for a Cure" effort.
 
Girls in grades K-8 will receive free admission to the 1 p.m. game and are invited to a reception in the rec center attached to the MAC.  The reception opens at 11:30 a.m. with interactive stations.

 
The event is one of more than 1,000 events taking place across the country for National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is February 5. Congress has proclaimed this national day each year since 1987. It recognizes the progress of girls and women in sports and the benefits that sports and fitness activities can bring to the lives of all girls and women. The Day is organized nationally by the Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Incorporated, National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the National Women's Law Center and the Women's Sports Foundation ®.
 
If interested in attending, click here to sign up your daughter or team on the form provided.  If you are a Girl Scout, please visit www.gswpa.org/things-to-do/ to register for the event. 
 
Admission for adults is $5 and $3 for senior citizens. For more information on this event, please call 814-824-2343.
 
The Laker women will wear special pink uniforms for the game, with all proceeds going to the WBCA's Play 4Kay to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
 
All 18 PSAC institutions have designated a home game for their Hooping for a Cure contest. At each game the athletes will wear black (men) or pink (women) t-shirts during warm-ups to show their support of women's cancer awareness. Fans will also have the opportunity to donate towards breast cancer research via the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
 
Hooping for a Cure is a PSAC fundraising and awareness effort as part of the WBCA's Play 4Kay, formerly known as the WBCA Pink Zone. As of Fall 2012 the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has raised approximately $7 million for cancer research.
 
From the Mercyhurst University alumni relations staff,
 
"The alumni relations staff invites Mercyhurst alumni and employees for the traditional Mercyhurst/Gannon pregame reception on Saturday, Feb. 8! The reception starts at 12:30 p.m., with the tip off for the women's game coming at 1:00 p.m., and the men's game around 3 p.m. The reception takes place in the SportsMedicine classrooms inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center (MAC). Guests are asked to enter the building on the South side, closest to the Mercyhurst Ice Center for easy access to the registration table and the classroom where the event will take place. There is no charge for the event, and we will provide sandwiches, chips, and soda. The reception will run through halftime of the men's game.
 
Attendees who register by noon on Feb. 7 will also receive a complimentary game ticket. The primary entrance for the party are the MAC doors on the inside of campus, closest to the Mercyhurst Ice Center."
 
For more info on the alumni event, please click here.