Bears Close Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday

Sunday, November 25

Conway, S.C.

11:30 A.M.

Mercer University

Bowling Green

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

11/24/2018 6:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Mercer Game Notes

Mercer will take on Bowling Green in final game

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team will look to avenge its tough loss on Friday with a win over Bowling Green tomorrow. The contest will commence at 11:30 a.m. in the HTC Center in Conway, S.C.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 | 11:30 a.m.
Teams: Mercer (2-3) vs. Bowling Green (3-2)
Location: Conway, S.C. | HTC Center
Live Stats: goccusports.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer

It's Raining Threes, Hallelujah
Mercer has been able to shoot the rock from downtown through the first five games, netting 6.4 threes per game and holding a .368 percentage from downtown. Mercer's three-point percentage leads the conference and ranks 58th in the NCAA. KeKe Calloway and Linnea Rosendal lead the way from downtown for Mercer, ranking second and third in the SoCon in threes made. Rosendal added five against Memphis on Friday to boost her season total to 14.

Dishing the Rock
Despite the 2-3 overall mark, the Bears have picked up where they left off a season ago in assists. Mercer is currently leading the SoCon in assists per game (14.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.20). KeKe Calloway ranks second in the league in total assists (26) and in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.17). Shannon Titus is third in the conference with a 1.78 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Rising from the Ashes
Linnea Rosendal has been a difference maker for the Bears this season, averaging 12.4 points per game in a career-best 29.8 minutes per game. Rosendal was named SoCon Freshman of the Year in her first year and has since then declined in scoring and playing time. Last season, Rosendal averaged just 2.6 points in 7.6 minutes. The senior guard has stepped up in a big way for the Bears thus far.

Last Time Out
Mercer dropped a heartbreaker on Friday to the Memphis Tigers in the first leg of the Coastal Carolina Thanksgiving Classic by the final score of 59-53. The Bears were ahead 22-8 through the first eight minutes of play. However, Mercer was only able to muster together 31 points over the next 32 minutes of play. The Tigers slowly chipped away at the lead before finally taking their first lead in the fourth quarter, an advantage that Memphis would not relinquish.

Linnea Rosendal led the way in scoring for Mercer with 19 points, knocking down five shots from beyond arc. Rosendal torched the net in the first half, burying all five shot attempts from the floor before cooling off in the second half. KeKe Calloway finished with 15 points, four assists and four rebounds. Amanda Thompson paced Mercer in rebounds with seven, while handing out five assists and scoring four points.

Series History
This will be the first-ever meeting between Mercer and Bowling Green. The Bears are 0-2 all-time against current MAC opponents, Central Michigan (0-1) and Eastern Michigan (0-1).

Finishing the Falcons
Bowling Green enters the final game of the Coastal Carolina Thanksgiving Classic with a 3-2 overall mark. Most recently, the Falcons dropped a tough 81-80 contest to host Coastal Carolina on Friday. Much like Mercer, Bowling Green built a big lead in the first quarter only to have the opponent chip away for the final win. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Falcons.

Morgan McMillen leads the way for Bowling Green in scoring with 20.4 points per game, doing a lot of the damage from behind the line (20-46). McMillen scored 15 against Coastal Carolina, all from downtown. Angela Perry (15.8), Andrea Cecil (12.4) and Sydney Lambert (11.8) round out the double-figure scorers for Bowling Green. Lambert is the point guard for the Falcons, averaging just under five assists per game. Kadie Hempfling leads the squad in rebounds with 9.4 per contest, while also chipping in for 7.2 points per game.

As a team, Bowling Green averages 79.4 points per game but allows 78.0. Much of the Falcons' damage comes from downtown, averaging 10.6 three pointers made per game.

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.