MU Men's Hoops to Face A-Sun Pre-Season Favorite on Saturday
12/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mercer University will play its final game at Belmont University – at least as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference – on Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center. Tip-off is slated for 4:15 p.m. Central/5:15 p.m. Eastern.
The Bruins (4-2, 1-0 A-Sun) will be moving to the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in 2012-13 season, thus ending league affiliation with MU. BU has won four of the past six A-Sun tournament titles.
The Bears (5-2, 1-0 A-Sun) would like nothing more than find a way to get its first-ever win on Belmont's home floor. BU, which was the A-Sun pre-season favorite to repeat as the league's regular season and tournament champion by both media and coaches polls, has never lost to Mercer in Nashville in 10 meetings and is 8-0 against the Bears in its current arena, the Curb Event Center.
In its last game, Mercer University got off to the quick start in the A-Sun race, topping Lipscomb University, 79-72, in the conference opener at the Allen Arena. The two teams forged a 34-34 tie at the half and the Bears started the second half on a 7-0 run to open things up.
Justin Cecil had a game-leading 22 points, followed by 18 from Jakob Gollon. Cecil and Gollon each also had seven rebounds to share high-game honors.
Langston Hall tallied 14 points, as well as dishing off six assists, and Bud Thomas added 11 to round out a quartet of Bears in double-digit scoring.
THE SERIES:
Belmont leads the overall series between the schools, 19-5. The first game between these teams was played in 1956-57 in Nashville and won by Belmont (81-58).
The Bruins have won three straight over Mercer, all in the 2010-11 season, and six of the last seven meetings. MU last topped Belmont in the semifinals of the 2009-10 A-Sun tournament (87-81).
SCOUTING BELMONT:
Under Rick Byrd (26th season), the Bruins are off to a 4-2 start overall, with its losses coming at the hands of No. 6 Duke (77-76) and Memphis. Since those back-to-back setbacks to open 2011-12, Belmont has reeled off four-straight victories. In the Bruins' wake are wins over Towson, Middle Tennessee, Travecca Nazarene and Kennesaw State.
Belmont's traditionally-balanced roster has six players averaging 8.5 points per game or better. J.J. Mann - who has made just one start - tops the team at 14.3 p.p.g., followed by Kerron Johnson's 13.5 p.p.g.
BU's trio of A-Sun Pre-Season All-Conference selections of Ian Clark, Mick Hedgepeth and Scott Saunders are averaging 10.3, 9.7 and 8.5 p.p.g., respectively.
Hedgepeth leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 boards per game.
In its last game out on Thursday, Belmont made short work of Kennesaw State University in its A-Sun opener, 98-52, in Nashville. Five Bruins tallied in double digits, led by 17 from Mann (who was 5-7 from three-point range). Hedgepeth pulled down 12 rebounds, while Johnson gave off 10 assists.
GAME NOTES:
-Through the first 7 games this season, sophomore Daniel Coursey has amassed 13 blocked shots (including a season-high four swats versus Lipscomb).
-Sophomore point guard Langston Hall made his 40th-consecutive start as a Bear on Thursday (Dec. 1) at Lipscomb.
-Mercer is 4-0 when holding its opponents under 60 points in a game and 4-0 when foes shoot less than 40% from the field. In its pair of losses, the Bears' opponent scored more than 70 points.
-MU's lone senior – Justin Cecil – led the Bears in scoring for the third-consecutive game with his 22 point effort at Lipscomb.
