Pre-Game Notes
KENNESAW, Ga. – Mercer University’s men’s basketball team will be looking to extend its current two-game win streak and, at the same time, extract a measure of revenge against the last team to beat it - Kennesaw State University – when the clubs square off at the KSU Convocation Center on Thursday evening. Tipoff for the second meeting of the Atlantic Sun Conference season between the Bears and Owls is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Mercer is in a three-way tie for fourth place in the A-Sun standings at 7-5, while Kennesaw is in seventh place at 6-6. Mercer is 11-11 overall, while KSU is 11-12.
But "revenge” has been the theme du jour during the past week for the Orange and Black.
Mercer’s two wins last Saturday and Sunday were both against teams who had defeated it the previous week – Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast University – in the first round of A-Sun games. As a matter-of-fact, a bitter-pill loss to Kennesaw State at the University Center on January 27 extended that losing streak to three games (prior to those weekend wins by MU in the second round of A-Sun action).
That first Owls-Bears match-up was a cuticle-killer for the vast majority involved.
Trailing 71-69 and in possession of the ball, head coach
Bob Hoffman's Mercer team had an opportunity for a tying or winning shot. As the clock got under 10 seconds, the Bears tried to work inside, only to see the ball get loose on the floor and kicked out of bounds. Possession was given to Mercer with 4.7 seconds left in the game.
James Florence took the inbounds pass, launching a potential game-winning three-point attempt that hit the heel and careened off, along with MU’s hope for the comeback win.
Daniel Emerson, a 6’8” senior from St. Mary’s, Ga., ended the night with his then 12
th double-double of the season versus KSU. Emerson poured in team highs for both points (18) and rebounds (16), as he hit on eight-of-12 from the field.
E.J. Kusnyer added 16 points and Florence t
allied 13 points and a game-high six assists. Florence was held to just four points in the second half by the Owls’ defense.
Kennesaw was led by redshirt freshman Markeith Cummings, who had a game-leading 25 points. Spencer Dixon added 13 points and six assists, while LaDaris Green had a double-double of 12 points and an Owl-leading 11 rebounds.
On the year, Emerson is averaging a double-double of 15.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game for the season. Emerson currently has a string of four-straight double-double games – and 14 on the year - going for him, while ranking first in A-Sun rebounds and seventh in scoring.
Florence, who had his string of 42-consecutive double-digit scoring games snapped in the Bears’ win over FGCU, still tops the club in scoring at 19.4 points per game and ranks second in the A-Sun. The senior has 100 double-figure scoring contests out of his 110 career games played for the Bears.
Kusnyer and
Jeff Smith have also raised their scoring averages to 11.5 and 11.0 p.p.g., respectively, for the year.