SoCon Bye on the Line in Monday Showdown at Hawkins Arena

MACON, Ga. – At this point in the season rest can be just as valuable as practice. When Mercer hosts Samford Monday evening at Hawkins Arena, an extra day of rest will be on the line when the Southern Conference Tournament begins next week in Asheville, North Carolina. That is because Monday's game holds the prize of a first round bye in the 2017 SoCon Tournament.

Monday's "Battle for the Bye" will tipoff at 7 p.m. on ESPN3 as Mercer and Samford enter with identical 8-9 marks in league play. The loser will have to play on Friday at 7:30 p.m. while the winner will not play until Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Monday, Feb. 27 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (14-16, 8-9 SoCon) vs. Samford (17-13, 8-9 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena (3,200)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Todd Wilson (play-by-play), Al Kessler (analyst), Kristin Banks (sideline)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network | 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 | Samford

Series History
Recently, it's been swell. Mercer has claimed the last six outings and every meeting since the two teams resumed sharing a conference as part of the Southern Conference with all but two of those wins coming by well more than one possession. Overall, Mercer leads the all-time series, 64-45, and a 32-14 advantage in games played in Macon. The Bears claimed the first meeting this year between the two teams, a 68-65 victory in Birmingham on Jan. 11.

Senior Night
So long, farewell; Auf Wiedersehen, adieu; Adieu, adieu; To you and you and you! On Monday, Mercer will say goodbye to three senior Bears that have had an important impact over the last few years including former player-turned-manager James Bento, center Andrew Fishler and center JJ N'Ganga.

Monday, Monday
Monday, Monday: So good to me or can't help that day? Monday's game against Samford will be Mercer's third game on a Monday this season with the Bears having split the previous two. An oddity in the normal weekly schedule (grind) in the Southern Conference, the Bears lost at Furman on Monday, Jan. 2 but then redeemed themselves on Monday, Jan. 28 with a win at home over Western Carolina.

Don't Call It a Comeback
LL Cool J said it best when he said "I'm rockin my peers" because that is exactly what Mercer did on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Chattanooga … at least, after halftime. The 47 points scored in the second half at Chattanooga tied for the second-most points the Bears have scored in a half during a game this season. The most was a 50-point first half performance at The Citadel on Feb. 18 while the Chattanooga game matched the 47 second half performance Mercer scored at Kennesaw State on Dec. 28.

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.

SoCon Bye on the Line in Monday Showdown at Hawkins Arena

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Players Mentioned

James Bento

Andrew Fishler

JJ N'Ganga

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