Saturday, February 25
Chattanooga, Tenn.
5:00 PM ET
Mercer University
at
Chattanooga
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Heads to Chattanooga for Saturday Tilt
2/24/2017 12:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer looks to grab a road win on Saturday as the Bears head to Chattanooga for a 5 p.m. tilt at McKenzie Arena on ESPN3.
GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25 | 5 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (13-16, 7-9 SoCon) at Chattanooga (19-9, 10-6 SoCon)
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. | McKenzie Arena (10,995)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Chris Goforth (play-by-play), Todd Agne (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | Chattanooga
Series History
A close series has been made even closer in recent contests. Mercer leads, 34-32, and the Mocs have won four straight but three of the last five games have either been decided by one possession or in overtime.
Last Time Out: UNCGÂ 72, Mercer 66 on Feb. 22, 2017 in Macon
Desmond Ringer scored a season-high 18 points and three Bears were in double figures but Mercer was unable to stop a UNCG team that shot 47.6 percent from beyond the arc in a 72-66 loss Wednesday night at Hawkins Arena.
Francis Alonso made four 3-pointers and scored 25 points to lead UNCG. James Dickey added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans (21-8, 12-4), who won their fifth straight. UNCG made 10 of 21 from the arc and outrebounded the Bears, 37-29.
The game was tied at 56 with six minutes to go when Diante Baldwin hit a 3-pointer to start a 13-6 run to lead 69-62 with 1:48 left. Ringer made a pair of free throws but Dickey completed a 3-point play with 28 seconds remaining and Mercer managed only two free throws after that.
The Last Time vs. the Mocs: Chattanooga 70, Mercer 68 on Jan. 14, 2017 in Macon
Mercer shot a scorching 58.6 percent from the field in the first half and Ria'n Holland scored a game-high 22 points, but the Bears fell to Chattanooga, 70-68, in a back-and-forth contest Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
With 10 seconds remaining Holland had a potential game-tying three-point attempt blocked by Chattanooga's Justin Tuoyo. The block led to an eventual made free throw by Rodney Chatman that sealed the game at 70-66 before Stephon Jelks made a layup as time expired.
Mercer (8-11, 2-4 Southern Conference) led 38-34 at halftime and scored 32 points in the paint of the visiting Mocs, who improved to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in league play.
Road Hot Streak
"Travelin' man that's what I am / Guess I'll always be / Travelin' man that's what I am / But at least I'm (shooting) free, yeah." Lynyrd Skynyrd was at least close to what the Bears are emulating this year. Mercer has found freedom on opposing teams' courts as of late as the Bears have shot 50 percent or better in four consecutive road contests.
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Saturday in the Park
Saturday seems to be no walk in the park for Mercer. The Bears are currently 2-5 on Saturdays after starting the year going 0-5 on Saturdays. The last two Saturday matchups registered as wins as the Bears faced Western Carolina and The Citadel.
Holland Honored
Mercer guard Ria'n Holland has been named the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week following his career-high 32-point performance at The Citadel Saturday.
His outstanding performance came in Mercer's only game last week, an 89-78 win on the road. That victory extended Mercer's winning streak over the Bulldogs to 13 consecutive games.
Holland connected on 9-of-15 shots (.600) from the field, hit a personal-best nine free throws (9-of-10) and tied his season high with eight rebounds against the Bulldogs. The junior went 5-of-7 from 3-point range and added a blocked shot in 36 minutes.
Bears Own the Boards
For the second consecutive year, Mercer has been leading the Southern Conference in rebounding margin. Mercer enters this game ranked second in the conference (and 44th in the nation) in rebounding margin with a +5.2 differential after leading the SoCon last season with a +8.8 margin. Should that mark hold Mercer could be the first team since Appalachian State (2008-09 and 2009-10) to lead the SoCon in rebounding margin in back-to-back years.
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.
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GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25 | 5 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (13-16, 7-9 SoCon) at Chattanooga (19-9, 10-6 SoCon)
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. | McKenzie Arena (10,995)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Chris Goforth (play-by-play), Todd Agne (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | Chattanooga
Series History
A close series has been made even closer in recent contests. Mercer leads, 34-32, and the Mocs have won four straight but three of the last five games have either been decided by one possession or in overtime.
Last Time Out: UNCGÂ 72, Mercer 66 on Feb. 22, 2017 in Macon
Desmond Ringer scored a season-high 18 points and three Bears were in double figures but Mercer was unable to stop a UNCG team that shot 47.6 percent from beyond the arc in a 72-66 loss Wednesday night at Hawkins Arena.
Francis Alonso made four 3-pointers and scored 25 points to lead UNCG. James Dickey added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans (21-8, 12-4), who won their fifth straight. UNCG made 10 of 21 from the arc and outrebounded the Bears, 37-29.
The game was tied at 56 with six minutes to go when Diante Baldwin hit a 3-pointer to start a 13-6 run to lead 69-62 with 1:48 left. Ringer made a pair of free throws but Dickey completed a 3-point play with 28 seconds remaining and Mercer managed only two free throws after that.
The Last Time vs. the Mocs: Chattanooga 70, Mercer 68 on Jan. 14, 2017 in Macon
Mercer shot a scorching 58.6 percent from the field in the first half and Ria'n Holland scored a game-high 22 points, but the Bears fell to Chattanooga, 70-68, in a back-and-forth contest Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
With 10 seconds remaining Holland had a potential game-tying three-point attempt blocked by Chattanooga's Justin Tuoyo. The block led to an eventual made free throw by Rodney Chatman that sealed the game at 70-66 before Stephon Jelks made a layup as time expired.
Mercer (8-11, 2-4 Southern Conference) led 38-34 at halftime and scored 32 points in the paint of the visiting Mocs, who improved to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in league play.
Road Hot Streak
"Travelin' man that's what I am / Guess I'll always be / Travelin' man that's what I am / But at least I'm (shooting) free, yeah." Lynyrd Skynyrd was at least close to what the Bears are emulating this year. Mercer has found freedom on opposing teams' courts as of late as the Bears have shot 50 percent or better in four consecutive road contests.
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| Date | Opponent | Mercer FG% |
| Jan. 21 | at Western Carolina | 50.0 |
| Feb. 9 | at VMI | 52.8 |
| Feb. 11 | at ETSU | 51.1 |
| Feb. 18 | at The Citadel | 50.8 |
Saturday in the Park
Saturday seems to be no walk in the park for Mercer. The Bears are currently 2-5 on Saturdays after starting the year going 0-5 on Saturdays. The last two Saturday matchups registered as wins as the Bears faced Western Carolina and The Citadel.
Holland Honored
Mercer guard Ria'n Holland has been named the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week following his career-high 32-point performance at The Citadel Saturday.
His outstanding performance came in Mercer's only game last week, an 89-78 win on the road. That victory extended Mercer's winning streak over the Bulldogs to 13 consecutive games.
Holland connected on 9-of-15 shots (.600) from the field, hit a personal-best nine free throws (9-of-10) and tied his season high with eight rebounds against the Bulldogs. The junior went 5-of-7 from 3-point range and added a blocked shot in 36 minutes.
Bears Own the Boards
For the second consecutive year, Mercer has been leading the Southern Conference in rebounding margin. Mercer enters this game ranked second in the conference (and 44th in the nation) in rebounding margin with a +5.2 differential after leading the SoCon last season with a +8.8 margin. Should that mark hold Mercer could be the first team since Appalachian State (2008-09 and 2009-10) to lead the SoCon in rebounding margin in back-to-back years.
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.
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Players Mentioned
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