Bears Travel to Greenville to Face Furman in SoCon Clash Saturday

MACON, Ga. – Mercer's men's basketball team looks to get back on the winning track as the Bears travel to Greenville, S.C., to take on the Furman Paladins Saturday, Jan. 6. Tipoff for the Southern Conference matchup is 4:30 p.m. (ET) at Timmons Arena.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 | 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (7-7, 0-1 SoCon) vs. Furman (11-4, 2-0 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Timmons Arena
TV: ESPN3
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
Radio: 97.3 FM, 103.3 FM, iHeart Radio and Sports Mic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Furman leads 12-10 in the series
• In Greenville: Furman leads 8-3
• In Macon: Mercer leads 7-3
• Neutral: Furman leads 1-0
• Current Streak: L3
• Last Meeting: L, 70-68 in Macon (2/2/17)

BEAR NECESSITIES
About The Paladins
Furman enters the game with an 11-4 record and sits atop the Southern Conference with a 2-0 mark. The Paladins defeated VMI 87-57 on the road in their conference opener and were 107-67 winners over The Citadel at home Thursday evening.

Devin Sibley, the returning SoCon Player of the Year, is back for his senior season and is Furman's leading scorer with a 16.3 per game average. Three other players are scoring in double figures for the Paladins, including guard John Davis (11.9); guard Daniel Fowler (11.5); and forward Matt Rafferty (11.3). Furman and Mercer have a common opponent thus far this season in Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated Mercer 84-60 on Nov. 29 in Knoxville, while UT knocked off Furman 66-61 Dec. 20 in Knoxville.

Bob Richey is in his first season as head coach for the Paladins. Coach Richey joined the Furman staff prior to the 2011-12 season and has helped recruit and groom back-to-back SoCon Players of the Year in guards Stephen Croone (2016) and Devin Sibley (2017).

Series History
In a series that dates back to the 1924-25 season, Mercer trails 10-12 in games against Furman. The Bears are 3-8 vs. the Paladins in Greenville, 7-3 vs. Furman in Macon, and 0-1 against FU at a neutral site. Mercer is 3-4 against Furman since joining the Southern Conference and is looking to snap a three-game losing streak vs. the Paladins. Furman won a pair of two-point contests last year – winning 71-69 in Greenville and 70-68 in Macon.

More on this Matchup
Two of the Southern Conference's top scoring teams will square off Saturday in Greenville. Furman is second in the SoCon in scoring, averaging 82.1 points per outing, while Mercer is third in scoring, tallying 79.1 points per game. Additionally, Furman ranks first in scoring margin (+13.5) while the Bears rank third (+10.2) … One of Mercer's strong suits this season has been its three-point shooting, as the Bears rank second in the league and fourth nationally in three-point shooting percentage (43.7%). Defending the three-point shot is one of Furman's strengths, as the Paladins rank second in the SoCon in three-point shooting defense (30.3%) … Two of the SoCon's top scorers will be showcased Saturday, as Mercer's Ria'n Holland (21.0 ppg) ranks second in the league in scoring, while Sibley (16.3 ppg) ranks fourth in the conference … Furman's Matt Rafferty (8.2 rpg) is the league's second leading rebounder, while Mercer's Stephon Jelks is fourth with 7.2 boards per contest.

Bears Held in High Regard
Mercer has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Southern Conference men's championship by the league's head coaches. The Bears were narrow favorites to claim the SoCon crown, tallying four first-place votes and 71 total points with Samford a close runner-up, earning three first-place votes and 70 total points.

Bears Rank High in Southern Conference Team Statistics
Here's a look at where the Bears' rank near the top of the latest edition of the SoCon men's basketball statistics:
Team Statistics

1^st in rebounding defense (30.0)
2nd in assist/turnover ratio (1.3)
2nd in field goal% (48.1%)
2nd in 3-pt. field goal% (43.7%) – 4th in NCAA
2^nd in rebounding margin (+3.9)
3rd in scoring margin (+10.2)
3rd in scoring offense (79.1)
3rd in assists (16.0)
3^rd in free throw% (73.7%)

Individual Statistics (player must appear in at least 75% of team's games)

Ria'n Holland – 1^st in 3-pt. field goal% (58.2%) – 1st in NCAA
Ria'n Holland – 2^nd in scoring (21.0) – 34th in NCAA
Ria'n Holland – 3rd in 3-pt. field goals made per game (3.5) – 10th in NCAA
Stephon Jelks – 2nd in defensive rebounds (5.7)
Stephon Jelks – 3^rd in 3-pt. field goal% (52.6%)
Stephon Jelks – 4th in field goal% (58.1%)
Stephon Jelks – 4^th in rebounding (7.2)
Jordan Strawberry – 3rd in assist/turnover ratio (2.4)
Jordan Strawberry – 4th in assists (4.1)
Demetre Rivers – 4th in free throw% (87.8%)

Holland Offensive Extraordinaire
In games played through Jan. 4, Ria'n Holland is rated the #1 player in the nation in Offensive Efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy, a nationally acclaimed basketball statistician who produces the website Kenpom.com. Holland's Offensive Efficiency rating of 143.3 is based upon a formula that examines total offensive possessions and individual points produced. The four components that make up the total offensive possessions include scoring possessions, missed field goal possessions, missed free throw possessions and turnovers.

Holland Ranks as one of the SoCon's Best Performers
Despite missing three games earlier this season due to injury, Holland has exhibited the type of play indicative of an all-conference performer. Holland was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for his performance in the team's opening two games. He went for 31 points in the 88-79 loss at Central Florida and then came back with a 16-point effort in the victory over Toccoa Falls. That 31-point effort vs. UCF was at the time, the second-highest output in his Mercer career. The 6-0 product of Fayetteville, N.C., had scored a career-best 32 points last season vs. The Citadel, before eclipsing that mark with a 33-point career-high effort Dec. 17 at La Salle, a game in which he drained 10 of 19 field goal attempts, including six of nine from three point range. Holland was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament team as he averaged 18.3 points during the three-game stretch, including a 29-point effort in the victory over Drexel. The 6-0 senior went for 24 points on seven of 10 shooting from the field, including six of eight behind the three point arc in the victory over Florida A&M. Holland played superbly in an 80-79 nail biting loss at Alabama Dec. 19, tallying 21 points. His 20 points led all scorers in the Dec. 28 triumph over Kennesaw State. In the 11 games that he has played, he leads the team in scoring (21.0), which ranks 2^nd in the SoCon and 34th in the NCAA, and 3rd in free throw shooting (48-58 for 82.8%). He is shooting a sizzling 58.2% from three point land (39-67), which leads the NCAA. Holland has scored in double figures in 38 of the 43 career games he has played at Mercer, including all 11 games this season.

This and That
Mercer continues to rank among the nation's leaders in three point marksmanship. The Bears are 2^nd in the SoCon in three-point shooting % (43.7%), which ranks 4th in the NCAA … Mercer shot a season-best 60.3% from the field in the Bears' win over Kennesaw State. Mercer broke open a fairly close contest by hitting a blazing 72.4% of its field goal attempts in the second half of that contest. On the flip side, the Bears hit a season-low 39.2% from the floor in last Sunday's loss to East Tennessee State … The Bears are second in the SoCon in field goal percentage shooting, knocking down 48.1% of their attempts … Demetre Rivers is playing his best basketball of the season the past few outings. Rivers tallied a season-high 24 points vs. Alabama. In that contest, the senior connected on six of eight field goal attempts, including three of four behind the arc, and nailed nine of 10 free throw attempts. Rivers helped ignite a furious rally for the Bears down the stretch, scoring five points in the closing seconds to almost lead Mercer to the upset win over the Crimson Tide. Rivers tallied 11 points in the victory vs. Kennesaw State and his spectacular shot block that landed up in the stands earned the #2 rating on the Dec. 28 edition of ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Day. Rivers is the team's leading free throw shooter (87.8%), which ranks 4th in the SoCon … Stephon Jelks turned in a season-high 22 point effort vs. La Salle. In that contest, the 6-7 senior was seven of eight from the floor, including three of four behind the arc, and a perfect five for five from the charity stripe. Jelks flirted with a triple-double in the win over Florida A&M, scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out seven assists in that contest. Jelks leads the club in rebounding (7.2), which ranks 4^th in the SoCon and is the Bears' 2nd leading scorer (10.1). He also has been extremely accurate scoring the basketball, hitting 58.1% of his field goal attempts (best on the team and 4th best in the SoCon) and hitting 87.5% of his charity tosses. Jelks is knocking down 52.6% of his three point tries, which ranks 3rd in the Southern Conference … Jordan Strawberry continues to rank among the SoCon leaders in assist/turnover ratio (2.4), which ranks third in the league. The senior guard has dished out 57 assists (4.4 per game/3^rd in the league) while committing just 24 turnovers. Strawberry played an extremely efficient floor game in the win over Kennesaw State, handing out seven assists with no turnovers. He is also Mercer's 4^th leading scorer with a 9.1 per game average … Senior Desmond Ringer is coming off a double-double performance vs. ETSU, a game in which he tallied 10 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds. Ringer is averaging 7.1 points per game and is shooting 80.0% from the free throw line … The Bears are receiving strong contributions off the bench. Ethan Stair is averaging 7.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per outing. Freshman Marcus Cohen (4.9 ppg), Cory Kilby (4.4 ppg), and Jaylen Stowe (3.7 ppg) are all averaging 13 or more minutes of playing time per contest. Kilby came off the bench to contribute 11 points vs. Kennesaw State … Mercer has four players hitting 80% or better from the free throw line, including Rivers (87.8%); Jelks (87.5%); Holland (82.8%); and Ringer (80.0%).

Senior Leadership
Six seniors return from last year's team. Those senior leaders include: Desmond Ringer, Jordan Strawberry, Ria'n Holland, Demetre Rivers, Rashad Lewis, and Stephon Jelks. Holland is the team's leading returning scorer at 17.2 points per game; Jelks paced the club with 6.7 rebounds per outing; while Strawberry dished out a team-best 4.3 assists per contest.

Returning Firepower
Mercer returns all five starters from last season's club. Those five starters – Ria'n Holland, Jordan Strawberry, Demetre Rivers, Desmond Ringer, and Stephon Jelks – combined to score a total of 1,744 of the team's 2,269 points on the season. That translates to nearly 77% of the Bears' offensive output from last year. In total, nine players are back from the 2016-17 team.

Preseason Watch List
Holland was named to the 2017-18 Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List, as announced by CollegeInsider.com earlier this season. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top NCAA Division I mid-major player. Holland is one of 51 mid-major players included on the preseason watch list. The award is named after Lou Henson, who coached college basketball for 41 years and was sixth all-time in career Division I wins (779) when he left the game in 2005. Holland is one of four players from SoCon teams included on the watch list. Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro-Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt and West Coast. The winner of the 2017-18 Lou Henson Award will be announced on March 31, 2018 at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in San Antonio, Texas, the site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.

Holland was also named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team as selected by the league's coaches prior to the start of this year.

Coach Hoffman Closing In On 500 Victories
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman has certainly achieved a great deal of success during his coaching career and he is closing in on a milestone that will only add to his list of superlative accomplishments. Coach Hoffman heads into Saturday's SoCon contest against Furman with 497 victories at the collegiate men's level, just three shy of 500. Coach Hoffman accumulated 243 wins as the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist from 1990-99; 68 victories while at Texas Pan-American (1999-2004); and he has won 186 games as Mercer's head coach (2008-present). Coach Hoffman has led Mercer to unprecedented success during his tenure with the Bears. The two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year has directed Mercer to 18 post-season victories and 10 power conference wins. Twice the Bears have won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership.

What's Next
Mercer continues SoCon play by traveling to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on Western Carolina Wednesday, Jan. 10. Tipoff at the Ramsey Center is 7 p.m. (ET).

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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Bears Travel to Greenville to Face Furman in SoCon Clash Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Cohen

Ria'n Holland

Stephon Jelks

Cory Kilby

Rashad Lewis

Desmond Ringer

Demetre Rivers

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

Jordan Strawberry

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Mercer University Athletics

Bears Travel to Greenville to Face Furman in SoCon Clash Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Cohen

Ria'n Holland

Stephon Jelks

Cory Kilby

Rashad Lewis

Desmond Ringer

Demetre Rivers

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

Jordan Strawberry

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