Bears Welcome Wofford To Hawkins on Saturday

Saturday, January 21

Macon, Ga.

2:00 PM ET

Mercer University

Wofford

Photo courtesy of Judy Stapleton

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

1/20/2017 3:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN3

MACON, Ga. – Mercer is set to continue its three-game home stand on Saturday when the Bears host the Terriers at 2 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, January 21 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (15-4, 4-1 SoCon) vs. Wofford (12-7, 2-2 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Game Notes: Mercer
Live Stats: MercerBears.com | Video: ESPN3
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB

STELLAR START
Mercer has started the season with a 15-4 record, the best under Coach Gardner. It is also the best start for the program since Mercer went 15-3 to start the 1979-80 season. The Bears have recorded the program's best non-conference record (11-3) in regular season play in the NCAA era.

PUTTING THE "W" IN HAWKINS ARENA
Mercer is 8-2 at Hawkins Arena so far this season. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Mercer has tallied a 30-11 mark in Hawkins Arena.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Sydni Means and Alex Williams have opened SoCon play with a bang, each tallying a double-double against both ETSU and Furman. Means and Williams are the only players in the SoCon to have recorded more than one double-double in conference play.

Means recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds against ETSU and 19 points and 14 assists against Furman. Williams notched 22 points and 11 rebounds against ETSU and 19 points and 11 rebounds against Furman.

OUTSTANDING OFFENSE
So far this season, Mercer has proved that it will continue to put on a show on offense. The Bears are leading the SoCon in scoring offense (67.3 ppg) and scoring margin (9.3), while ranking second in assists per game (14.5).

LAWRENCE LEADING THE WAY
Kahlia Lawrence is leading Mercer and the SoCon with 19.3 points per game. The junior also ranks 30th nationally in ppg. She has reached double figures in scoring 16 times this season, including each of the last 10 games, and topped 20 points in nine games.

Lawrence has scored 20+ points in all five SoCon games, putting her atop the league standings with 24.8 ppg in SoCon play.

DUBS ON DUBS ON DUBS
Mercer is outscoring its opponents by 8.4 ppg this season, which is buoyed by three players averaging double figures in scoring. Kahlia Lawrence (19.3 ppg), KeKe Calloway (13.6 ppg) and Sydni Means (10.6 ppg) are leading the Bears offensively this season.

The Bears also have three players averaging double figures in SoCon games. Lawrence (24.8 ppg), Means (131.4 ppg) and Williams (11.6 ppg) are all averaging more points in conference play than overall this season.

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 125 assists and is averaging 6.6 apg, both of which lead the conference. She is ranked 12th nationally in total assists and 16th in apg. Means also leads the conference with a 3.21 assist/ turnover ratio and ranks sixth nationally.

In SoCon play, Means is averaging 7.6 apg and has dished out a total of 38 assists, leading the league in both categories.

ALL ABOUT THE GIVE AND TAKE
In addition to leading the SoCon in assists and assists per game, Sydni Means has notched 51 steals and 2.68 steals per game and leads the conference in both categories. She ranks 28th 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 (14) and steals (7). Means dished out 14 assists in the win over Furman on Thursday, besting her previous career high (13) set at the end of December.

DEFENSE STANDING OUT
Mercer has focused more on defense this season and it has paid off. The Bears rank second in the SoCon and 43rd nationally in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 58.1 points per game. Mercer has held its opponents to less than 60 points in 10 games and less than 50 points in four games this season.

In league action, Mercer's opponents are averaging 60.4 ppg. The Bears have held SoCon opponents to less than 60 points in three of the five games thus far.

BEARS ON THE BOARDS
Amanda Thompson leads Mercer on the boards with 7.2 rebounds per game this season, followed by Alex Williams with 6.6 boards a game. Thompson ranks sixth in the SoCon in total rebounds (137) and rebounds per game. Williams is leading the Bears in SoCon play with 9.0 rpg, followed by Thompson and Sydni Means with 5.6 and 5.4, respectively.

SMOOTH CRIMINALS
As a team, Mercer has grabbed 186 steals and is averaging 9.8 steals per game. The Bears lead the SoCon in steals per game, while ranking second in total steals. Additionally, Mercer ranks 37th nationally in total steals and 61st 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.

HOLDING ONTO THE BALL
The Bears are protecting the rock well this year and are second in the nation with 10.5 turnovers per game. Mercer is also seventh in the nation in turnover margin, as the Bears have recorded a +8.37 turnover margin thus far. Mercer is forcing 18.84 turnovers per game, ranking first in the SoCon and 66th nationally.

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 solid 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 and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in the win over UNCG last week. She also recorded her second double-double in SoCon play with 19 points and 11 rebounds against Furman on Thursday.

KEKE FOR THREE
KeKe Calloway leads Mercer and ranks fourth in the conference from outside the arc with 45 made three-pointers. Calloway also ranks 57th nationally in made three pointers. She is also first in the SoCon and 15th nationally with 150 attempted treys. Calloway is averaging 2.37 three-pointers a game, putting her fourth in the conference and 88th 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 97 made three-pointers.

SERIES HISTORY
Mercer leads the series 6-1, which includes a 3-0 mark in Macon. The Bears have won all five meetings with the Terriers since Mercer joined the SoCon in 2014.

SCOUTING WOFFORD
The Terriers tallied an impressive 10-5 mark in non-conference play and have opened SoCon action with a 2-2 mark, picking up wins over Western Carolina and UNCG, while falling to Furman and Samford.

Chloe Wanink leads the Terriers with 15.0 ppg and is second on the team with 6.2 rpg. She also leads the league with a 45.5 field goal percentage. Wanink and Maria Corella are tied for the team lead with 13.0 ppg in SoCon play.

Grayson Pinholster is the Terriers' leading rebounder on the season with 7.3 rpg, ranking her fifth in the league. Wanink is leading Wofford with 7.5 rpg in league action, followed by Pinholster with 7.3 boards a game.

On the season, Wofford is outscoring opponents 65.8-63.1 ppg and shooting 43.9 percent from the field. In conference play, the Terriers have been outscored 58.2-56.2 ppg and have connected on 40.5 percent of their shots. Wofford is all efficient on offense and shares the ball well, leading the conference with 14.7 assists per game.

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.