Bears Wrap Up Road Trip At Western Carolina

Saturday, January 14

Cullowhee, N.C.

2:00 PM ET

Mercer University

Western Carolina

Photo courtesy of Judy Stapleton

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

1/13/2017 11:59:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN3

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will conclude its first Southern Conference road trip on Saturday at Western Carolina. The Bears and the Catamounts are set to tip off at 2 p.m. in Cullowhee, N.C.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, January 14 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (13-4, 2-1 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina (5-13, 0-3 SoCon)
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | Ramsey Center
Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina
Live Stats: CatamountSports.com | Video: ESPN3
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB

STELLAR START
Mercer has started the season with a 13-4 record, the best under Coach Gardner. The Bears have recorded the program's best non-conference record (11-3) in regular season play in the NCAA era.

ROAD WARRIORS
Mercer is 6-2 on the road this season and both losses were at the hands of Power Five teams. Since joining the league, Mercer has gone 12-3 in SoCon road games.

DUBS ON DUBS ON DUBS
Mercer is outscoring its opponents by 8.8 ppg this season, which is buoyed by three players averaging double figures in scoring. Kahlia Lawrence (18.5 ppg), KeKe Calloway (14.5 ppg) and Sydni Means (10.1 ppg) are leading the Bears offensively this season.

Additionally, there are four players averaging double figures in SoCon action. Lawrence is averaging 24.3 ppg, followed by Means (12.3 ppg), Alex Williams (11.0 ppg) and Calloway (10.7 ppg).

LAWRENCE LEADING THE WAY
Kahlia Lawrence is leading Mercer and ranks second in the SoCon with 18.5 points per game. The junior also ranks 41st nationally in ppg. She has reached double figures in scoring 14 times this season, including each of the last eight games, and topped 20 points in seven games.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR CALLOWAY
KeKe Calloway finished her freshman season as one of Mercer's leading scorers in the SoCon Tournament. The guard has started her sophomore season in much of the same fashion as she is second for Mercer with 14.5 points per game.

Calloway has reached double figures in 10 games this season and led the Bears in scoring in six games, including a 21-point performance vs. West Georgia in December.

KEKE FOR THREE
KeKe Calloway leads Mercer and ranks third in the conference from outside the arc with 42 made three-pointers. Calloway also ranks 54th nationally in made three pointers. She is also first in the SoCon and 13th nationally with 143 attempted treys. Calloway is averaging 2.47 three-pointers a game, putting her third in the conference and 73rd in the nation.

After making two three-pointers in Mercer's win over Paine, Calloway earned a spot on the Bears' career made three-pointers leaderboard. She currently sits in 10th place with 94 made three-pointers.

WILLIAMS BACK IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Alex Williams started the first four games of the season for the Bears before missing six games due to injury. Williams has been back on the floor for Mercer since Dec. 18 but re-entered the starting lineup on New Year's Eve.

Williams has been steady for the Bears since returning to the starting lineup. She notched a double-double featuring a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win over ETSU last week and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over UNCG on Thursday.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Williams' performance since returning to the starting lineup has included solid play in each of Mercer's first three SoCon games. The junior is averaging a double-double in league play with 11.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game.

DEFENSE STANDING OUT
Mercer has focused more on defense this season and it has paid off. The Bears rank 2nd in the SoCon and 54th nationally in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 58.5 points per game. Mercer has held its opponents to less than 60 points in eight games and less than 50 points in four games this season.

BEARS ON THE BOARDS
Amanda Thompson leads Mercer on the boards with 7.4 rebounds per game this season, followed by Alex Williams with 6.5 boards a game. Thompson ranks fifth in the SoCon in rebounds per game and total rebounds (126).

SMOOTH CRIMINALS
As a team, Mercer has grabbed 171 steals and is averaging 10.1 steals per game. The Bears lead the SoCon in steals per game, while ranking second in total steals. Additionally, Mercer ranks 34th nationally in total steals and 54th in steals per game.

Mercer has also recorded three of the SoCon's top five single-game steals performances, which includes the Bears' season-high 19 against Georgia Southern.

SHARING IS CARING
After finishing last season leading the SoCon in total assists and assists per game, Sydni Means is still on top. Means has dished out 106 assists and is averaging 6.2 apg, both of which lead the conference. She is ranked 16th nationally in total assists and 21st in apg. Means also leads the conference with a 2.94 assist/ turnover ratio and ranks 14th nationally.

ALL ABOUT THE GIVE AND TAKE
In addition to leading the SoCon in assists and assists per game, Sydni Means has notched 46 steals and 2.71 steals per game and leads the conference in both categories. She ranks 26th nationally in total steals and 40th in steals per game. The junior point guard has recorded the SoCon's single-game highs for both assists (13) and steals (7). Means dished out 13 assists in the win over Paine, setting a new career high.

HOLDING ONTO THE BALL
The Bears are protecting the rock well this year and are second in the nation with 10.7 turnovers per game. Mercer is also sixth in the nation in turnover margin, as the Bears have recorded a +8.41 turnover margin thus far. Mercer is forcing 19.12 turnovers per game, ranking first in the SoCon and 64th nationally.

SERIES HISTORY
Mercer leads the series 9-0, which includes a 4-0 mark since joining Western Carolina in the SoCon prior to the 2014-15 season. The Bears are 4-0 in Cullowhee, which includes last season's overtime win.

SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA
Western Carolina has started the SoCon season with a 3-0 record after falling to Furman and Wofford on the road and Samford at home on Thursday.

Sherae Bonner is leading the Catamounts this season with 10.4 points per game and 9.9 rebounds a game. Raziyah Farrington is second on the team with 9.8 ppg, while Tembre Moates is second in rebounding with 3.8 rpg.

In league play, Bonner is averaging 9.7 ppg and 7.3 rpg, once again leading WCU. Emily Hatfield is averaging 7.7 ppg to rank second, followed by JonTay Mitchem with 7.0 ppg.

On the year, Western Carolina is shooting 35.8 percent from the field, while its opponents are hitting 41.0 percent. The Catamounts have been outscored 66.2-57.0 on average so far this season, which includes a 63.3-48.3 margin in SoCon games.

How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.