Mercer Takes on Fellow Georgia Foe on Monday

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball squad will travel to Statesboro, Ga. on Monday to take on in-state rival Georgia Southern at 6:30 p.m. inside Hanner Fieldhouse. Both squads will enter the game in search of their first win.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Monday, Nov. 12, 2018 | 6:30 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (0-1) at Georgia Southern (0-2)
Location: Statesboro, Ga. | Hanner Fieldhouse
Live Stats: gseagles.com/livestats
Live Video: gseagles.com/livevideo
TV: True Blue Live
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer

Peach State Success
The Bears are familiar with Georgia foes, holding a 6-4 mark against Peach State competitors in the last two seasons. Last campaign, the Bears finished 1-2, falling to Georgia twice, while handling the Eagles by 27. During the 2016-17 campaign, the Bears held a 5-2 mark against opponents from Georgia, including wins over Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State.

Getting the Repetitions In
Despite the loss on Friday, Mercer was able to gain valuable playing experience. Shannon Titus garnered her first collegiate start, playing a career-high 28 minutes. Amoria Neal-Tysor, Jaron Dougherty and Summer Pahl also added valuable minutes for the Bears. Senior forward Ally Welch provided 16 minutes off the bench, finishing with four points.

A Good Mix
Mercer has a strong mix of experience on the squad this season. The Bears have five seniors, three of which return as everyday starters from a season ago. Meanwhile, Mercer welcomes six new freshmen to the Macon community. The Orange & Black also welcome back Shannon Titus and LaKaitlin Wright who began their sophomore campaign on Friday.

Last Time Out
Mercer dropped its season opener at Wake Forest on Friday, falling to the Deacs by the final score of 69-54. Wake Forest scored the first eight points of the game before Mercer cut the deficit to four. The Bears would not get any closer as the Demon Deacons used various runs to extend their lead throughout the night. Mercer would outscore Wake Forest 18-12 in the final quarter, led by six points from Linnea Rosendal.

KeKe Calloway led all Bears in scoring with 20 points, knocking down nine shots from the floor. Calloway also finished with a career-high five assists. Amanda Thompson chipped in with her fourth career double-double on 10 points and 12 boards. Thompson was able to corral seven offensive rebounds in the game. Rachel Selph added six points and eight rebounds in the opening loss.

Series History
Mercer and Georgia Southern will meet on the court for the 67th time on Monday. The Bears hold a 36-30 advantage against the Eagles, having won four consecutive games and five out of the last six. Mercer is 17-15 when playing in Statesboro. The longest winning streak in the series belongs to the Bears who opened the series with an 11-game winning streak beginning in 1973 and concluding in 1978.

Fly Like an Eagle
Georgia Southern has dropped its first two games thus far in the season, falling to Wofford (81-65) and most recently Virginia Tech (78-49). The Eagles finished 5-25 a season ago, winning four games inside Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro.

The Eagles return seven players from last season's squad, including two starters. Georgia Southern was slated to finish 10th in the Sun Belt Conference out of 12 teams. As a team, the Eagles have yielded 79.5 points per game in the first two outings, allowing opponents to knock down .500 from the field.

Through the first two games, Alexis Brown leads the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game, knocking down 13 of 26 attempts this season. Sarah Moore leads the team in boards, averaging 7.0 rebounds and 6.5 points through the first two contests.

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

Jaron Dougherty

Amoria Neal-Tysor

Summer Pahl

Linnea Rosendal

Rachel Selph

Amanda Thompson

Shannon Titus

Ally Welch

LaKaitlin Wright

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