Saturday, January 28
Macon, Ga.
4:30 PM ET
Mercer University
vs
The Citadel
Groovy! Mercer Hosts The Citadel on ‘70s Day
1/27/2017 2:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer returns home to kick off a four-game homestand starting on Saturday as The Citadel Bulldogs and the nation's highest-scoring offense visits Macon and Hawkins Arena.
GAMEDAY DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Jan. 28 | 4:30 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (9-12, 3-5 SoCon) vs. The Citadel (9-13, 2-7 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena (3,500)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Todd Wilson (play-by-play), Dean Keener (analyst), Megan Trammell (sideline)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | The Citadel
Series History
Saturday's game marks the 18th game in a series that dates back to 1925 and spans two conferences - the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and now the Southern Conference. The Bears are 6-2 against the Bulldogs in Macon and 13-4 against The Citadel overall. That includes a 71-69 win over the Cadets in the SoCon Tournament last season in Asheville, the third meeting between the two schools in postseason play.
Last Time Out
Ria'n Holland drilled 5 of 9 from beyond the arc for 23 points as Mercer bounced back from two straight defeats to dominate Western Carolina 70-50 on Saturday.
Mercer (9-12, 3-5 Southern Conference), which jumped out to a 43-23 halftime advantage, shot 60 percent from the floor in the opening half while limiting the Catamounts to just 36 percent shooting. The Bears controlled the boards, grabbing 38 rebounds to 27 for Western Carolina (6-14, 1-6) which has lost six of its last seven games.
Last Time vs. The Citadel - Bears 71, Bulldogs 69 on March 4, 2016
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Stephon Jelks drove for a layup with five seconds left to help seventh-seeded Mercer grab a 71-69 win over No. 10 seed The Citadel onFriday night in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament.
Warren Sledge had a chance to tie for The Citadel, but the front end of the one-and-one rolled off the rim with two seconds left and Jelks wrapped up the rebound. Jelks scored four points with eight rebounds and his game-winner came on a pretty pass from Ethan Stair, who finished with eight points and four assists.
Mercer (19-13) advances to meet No. 2 seed Eastern Tennessee in Saturday's quarterfinals.
Derrick Henry scored 16 points and Quayson Williams 14, including four 3-pointers, to led The Citadel (10-22), which committed 11 turnovers, was outrebounded 43-36 and had seven shots blocked.
Andrew Fishler blocked four shots for Mercer.
70s Day at Hawkins Arena
Saturday at Hawkins Arena will be a blast from the past for Bears fans and Bulldogs fans alike will be treated to entertaining music and even more entertaining outfits.
As the festivities commence, here's a look back at Mercer Basketball in the 1970s:
• Overall Record: 147-105 (.583)
• Eight winning seasons in 10 years
• Joined the Trans-America Athletic Conference (became the Atlantic Sun Conference)
• Bill Bibb began his coaching tenure at Mercer (1974-75 season). Would become Mercer's all-time wins leader (222)
• Seven players reached the 1,000-point plateau
• The top-four highest average scoring seasons in Mercer's history occurred in the '70s
Suits And Sneakers® Week
The Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week, January 23-29, 2017, is a nationwide event that unites coaches across the country to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission, and promote the American Cancer Society as a place for help and support. While coaching games during the week, coaches wear sneakers with their game attire as a visible reminder about the importance of nutrition and physical activity in reducing cancer risk.
Help saves lives and support Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week!
Saturday in the Park
Saturday seems to be no walk in the park for Mercer. The Bears are currently 1-5 on Saturdays and notched that first win last Saturday in Cullowhee, North Carolina over Western Carolina.
Win No. 80? Quite the Homecourt Advantage
A win for the Bears on Saturday against ETSU would mark the team's 80th win at Hawkins Arena since the start of the 2011-12 season. That's an average of over 13.3 wins at home per season. To put that in perspective, Mercer is hosting 15 home games this year.
Hoffman Approaching 300th Game
Mercer's game on Feb. 2 against Furman will mark Bob Hoffman's 300th game as head coach of the Mercer Bears. The Bears head coach is currently in his ninth season in Macon and has amassed 173 wins entering today's game, averaging more wins per season in his current position than any other SoCon coach (that has more than five years at his current school).
Ria'n is More Reliable than A Rolex
Death, taxes and Ria'n Holland scoring 20-plus points. Like clockwork, these seem to be the three constants in life. Holland, who ranks third in the SoCon in scoring avaering 17.2 points per game, has registered nine games of 20 points or more. That ranks second in the SoCon (behind ETSU's T.J. Cromer) and just two behind likely All-American Malik Monk (Kentucky).
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
GAMEDAY DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Jan. 28 | 4:30 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (9-12, 3-5 SoCon) vs. The Citadel (9-13, 2-7 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena (3,500)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Todd Wilson (play-by-play), Dean Keener (analyst), Megan Trammell (sideline)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | The Citadel
Series History
Saturday's game marks the 18th game in a series that dates back to 1925 and spans two conferences - the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and now the Southern Conference. The Bears are 6-2 against the Bulldogs in Macon and 13-4 against The Citadel overall. That includes a 71-69 win over the Cadets in the SoCon Tournament last season in Asheville, the third meeting between the two schools in postseason play.
Last Time Out
Ria'n Holland drilled 5 of 9 from beyond the arc for 23 points as Mercer bounced back from two straight defeats to dominate Western Carolina 70-50 on Saturday.
Mercer (9-12, 3-5 Southern Conference), which jumped out to a 43-23 halftime advantage, shot 60 percent from the floor in the opening half while limiting the Catamounts to just 36 percent shooting. The Bears controlled the boards, grabbing 38 rebounds to 27 for Western Carolina (6-14, 1-6) which has lost six of its last seven games.
Last Time vs. The Citadel - Bears 71, Bulldogs 69 on March 4, 2016
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Stephon Jelks drove for a layup with five seconds left to help seventh-seeded Mercer grab a 71-69 win over No. 10 seed The Citadel onFriday night in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament.
Warren Sledge had a chance to tie for The Citadel, but the front end of the one-and-one rolled off the rim with two seconds left and Jelks wrapped up the rebound. Jelks scored four points with eight rebounds and his game-winner came on a pretty pass from Ethan Stair, who finished with eight points and four assists.
Mercer (19-13) advances to meet No. 2 seed Eastern Tennessee in Saturday's quarterfinals.
Derrick Henry scored 16 points and Quayson Williams 14, including four 3-pointers, to led The Citadel (10-22), which committed 11 turnovers, was outrebounded 43-36 and had seven shots blocked.
Andrew Fishler blocked four shots for Mercer.
70s Day at Hawkins Arena
Saturday at Hawkins Arena will be a blast from the past for Bears fans and Bulldogs fans alike will be treated to entertaining music and even more entertaining outfits.
As the festivities commence, here's a look back at Mercer Basketball in the 1970s:
• Overall Record: 147-105 (.583)
• Eight winning seasons in 10 years
• Joined the Trans-America Athletic Conference (became the Atlantic Sun Conference)
• Bill Bibb began his coaching tenure at Mercer (1974-75 season). Would become Mercer's all-time wins leader (222)
• Seven players reached the 1,000-point plateau
• The top-four highest average scoring seasons in Mercer's history occurred in the '70s
Suits And Sneakers® Week
The Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week, January 23-29, 2017, is a nationwide event that unites coaches across the country to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission, and promote the American Cancer Society as a place for help and support. While coaching games during the week, coaches wear sneakers with their game attire as a visible reminder about the importance of nutrition and physical activity in reducing cancer risk.
Help saves lives and support Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week!
Saturday in the Park
Saturday seems to be no walk in the park for Mercer. The Bears are currently 1-5 on Saturdays and notched that first win last Saturday in Cullowhee, North Carolina over Western Carolina.
Win No. 80? Quite the Homecourt Advantage
A win for the Bears on Saturday against ETSU would mark the team's 80th win at Hawkins Arena since the start of the 2011-12 season. That's an average of over 13.3 wins at home per season. To put that in perspective, Mercer is hosting 15 home games this year.
Hoffman Approaching 300th Game
Mercer's game on Feb. 2 against Furman will mark Bob Hoffman's 300th game as head coach of the Mercer Bears. The Bears head coach is currently in his ninth season in Macon and has amassed 173 wins entering today's game, averaging more wins per season in his current position than any other SoCon coach (that has more than five years at his current school).
Ria'n is More Reliable than A Rolex
Death, taxes and Ria'n Holland scoring 20-plus points. Like clockwork, these seem to be the three constants in life. Holland, who ranks third in the SoCon in scoring avaering 17.2 points per game, has registered nine games of 20 points or more. That ranks second in the SoCon (behind ETSU's T.J. Cromer) and just two behind likely All-American Malik Monk (Kentucky).
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
G
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