Bears Set to take on Lady Bulldogs Tuesday

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Women's Basketball will look to build off its 48-point victory on Sunday, squaring off against South Carolina State tomorrow at 7 p.m. The Bears and the Lady Bulldogs will compete inside Hawkins Arena as Mercer aims to improve to 5-1 in home games this season.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (9-2) vs. South Carolina State (4-4)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Todd Wilson (Play-by-Play) / Craig Lawson (Analyst)
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | South Carolina State (notes to come soon)

Sweet Six Streak
The Bears are on a six-game winning streak that began on Nov. 26 with a 70-54 victory over VCU in the GSU Thanksgiving Classic. Mercer's six-game winning streak also includes wins over Campbell, Davidson, George Washington, UNC Asheville and Winthrop. The Bears are averaging 69.7 points during the winning streak, holding opponents to 51.7 points. Mercer is also forcing 17.7 turnovers per game over the last six outings, while only turning the ball over 10.3 times per game.

Triple Threat
KeKe Calloway, Kahlia Lawrence and Sydni Means continue to anchor the Bears. The trio leads the team in scoring, highlighted by Lawrence's 18.8 points per game. Calloway ranks second on the squad in points per contest with 13.7, while Means averages 9.1. Calloway has proven to be the three-point threat for Mercer, knocking down 30 shots from beyond the arc this season. Lawrence has been the go-to scorer with the ability to knock down 43.1 percent of her shots this season. Meanwhile, Means is the floor general, averaging 7.1 assists per game, while only turning the ball over 1.9 times during a game.

Defensive Intensity
Mercer continues to provide struggles for opposing offenses, allowing competitors to score on 36.9 percent of their shots. During the six-game winning streak, Mercer is holding opponents to 34.4 percent from the field. The Bears are forcing 17.7 turnovers per game during the winning streak, while only yielding 51.7 points per game. Mercer is also allowing just 26.0 percent of shots to fall from beyond the arc during the six-game streak, yielding 4.2 threes per contest. The Bears continue to force more turnovers than commit turnovers themselves. Mercer has yet to commit more turnovers than its opponents, averaging 11.7 turnovers while forcing 20.0.

You Get an Assist, and You Get an Assist!!
Night in and night out, Mercer continues to display unselfish basketball. The Bears set a program record for assists in a single game with 31 against Winthrop on Sunday. Mercer knocked down 42 shots, of which 31 came via the assist. Sydni Means registered nine assists, while Kahlia Lawrence finished the game with a career-best eight assists. Mercer is averaging 16.8 assists per game thus far in the first 11 games.

Last Time Out
The Bears earned their sixth consecutive win on Sunday, defeating Winthrop by the final score of 93-45. Mercer put on a display scoring a season-high 93 points and tying a Hawkins Arena record for largest margin of victory with 48 points. The Bears also set a Hawkins Arena record for the most assists in a single game with 31. The Bears built a nine-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back, building the advantage all the way to a game-high 49 points.

Kahlia Lawrence ended the game with 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on just 22 minutes of action. KeKe Calloway finished with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field. Sydni Means rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and nine assists. Ally Welch also contributed in a big way, netting a career-high eight points on 4-of-5 from the field.

Series History
The Bears and Lady Bulldogs have met twice before with Mercer claiming both showdowns. The last time the two squads met in Macon, Ga., was the first meeting on Nov. 9, 2007 with the Bears besting South Carolina State by the final score of 58-55. Mercer won the second matchup, 78-54, in Orangeburg, S.C. on Nov. 18, 2008.

Running Past the Lady Bulldogs
South Carolina State enters the showdown having won two consecutive games to even its record at 4-4 on the season. Most recently, the Lady Bulldogs bested Southern Conference foe Western Carolina, 75-45. South Carolina State also defeated Charleston Southern, 60-58, during the two-game winning streak.

The Lady Bulldogs boast three players in double-digit scoring, led by Bryeasha Blair with 11.9 points per game. Blair also adds 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game to her season numbers. Kyesha Lewis ranks second on the squad in scoring with 10.5, while Kemoni Jenkins ranks third with 10.3. Jasmine Williams proves to be the team's top rebounder at 6.9 rebounds per game.

The Lady Bulldogs average 59.0 points per game, holding opponents to just 55.5 points. South Carolina State is narrowly outshooting its opponents, 36.0 to 35.4 percent. The Lady Bulldogs also corral 41.0 rebounds per game, allowing 40.6 rebounds from opponents.

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.

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Players Mentioned

KeKe Calloway

Kahlia Lawrence

Sydni Means

Ally Welch

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