Mercer to Close out Calendar Year with Bulldogs

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team will return to action on Sunday at 2 p.m. when the Bears welcome UNC Asheville into town. The contest will be the final game of the calendar year as 2018 flips to 2019.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (7-5) vs. UNC Asheville (5-5)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Todd Wilson & Sybil Blalock
Radio: 100.9 "The Creek", Sports Mic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | UNC Asheville (Notes to come)

Keep it Rolling
Amanda Thompson claimed her second Southern Conference Player of the Week award in the last three weeks. Thompson captured the award on Dec. 24 after averaging 19 points and 14.5 rebounds per game against Howard and George Washington. Thompson set a career-high 21 points and 18 rebounds against Howard for her third double-double of the season. Thompson followed that performance with her fourth double-double of the season behind 17 points and 11 rebounds. The senior forward shot .615 from the field and also chipped in for 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals on the week.

What a Great Year
The calendar year of 2018 has been very kind to the Mercer Bears. Since Jan. 4, Mercer holds a record of 24-6 in the calendar year. The year has seen many records and program firsts for the Bears, including the team's first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance. In the first half of the season, Mercer went 17-1, reached both the AP Top 25 Poll and the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll, while also riding a program-record 27-game winning streak. The Bears also captured both a Southern Conference regular season and tournament championship. In the latter half of the calendar year, the Bears are 7-5 with wins over Florida, Charlotte and George Washington.

Defensive Prowess
Mercer has stepped up its defense this month, allowing just 53.6 points to opponents. The Bears made some adjustments from November in which Mercer allowed 69.7 points per contest. The Orange & Black offense is allowing 21 made field goals per game, while the defense is forcing 17.4 turnovers per outing.

Last Time Out
The Bears defeated George Washington on Friday, Dec. 21 in Washington, D.C. by the final score of 61-53. Neither team registered a point for the first two minutes until Amanda Thompson drained a jumper for the 2-0 lead, an advantage that the Bears would not relinquish. Mercer ended up taking a 16-6 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play. The Bears were outscored in the second quarter 16-12, but still held on to the six-point advantage at the break. The second half started out with a bang for Mercer, knocking down its first five shots to rebuild its double-digit advantage. Mercer went on to outscore the Colonials by four in the third quarter for the 49-39 advantage. The Bears held George Washington at bay in the final quarter despite being outscored by two.

Thompson led the Bears in points with 17 and in rebounds with 11 for her fourth double-double of the season. Thompson was joined in double figures by KeKe Calloway (16), Linnea Rosendal (10) and Shannon Titus (10).

Series History
Mercer and UNC Asheville are knotted at four wins apiece in the all-time series. The Bears are 1-2 against the Bulldogs inside Hawkins Arena. Mercer claimed the first three games of the series before UNC Asheville rattled off four consecutive wins. The Bears evened the series last season with a 67-56 win in Asheville.

Besting the Bulldogs
UNC Asheville is an even 5-5 on the season heading into the Sunday showdown. The Bulldogs have dropped three of their last five matchups. UNC Asheville is 3-1 against the SoCon this season with wins over Western Carolina (74-49), Wofford (60-46) and ETSU (56-55). Most recently, the Bulldogs fell to Middle Tennessee State by the final score of 67-46.

Sonora Dengokl leads the way in scoring with 14.4 points, while Nadiria Evans ranks second with 10.5. The rebounding is spread throughout the team with Jordan-Brown leading the way with 4.4 rebounds.

As a team, the Bulldogs allow just 56.5 points per game, while also holding opponents to just .388 from the floor and .299 from downtown. UNC Asheville is outrebounding opponents 37.7-35.7. The Bulldogs are also successful in forcing turnovers, forcing 17.9 per contest.

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.

Mercer to Close out Calendar Year with Bulldogs

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Players Mentioned

KeKe Calloway

Linnea Rosendal

Amanda Thompson

Shannon Titus

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