Mercer Welcomes Seminoles into Hawkins Arena

Wednesday, December 5

Macon, Ga.

7 P.M.

Mercer University

Florida State

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

12/4/2018 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Bears continue home stand with Florida State

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team will square off against ACC foe, Florida State, tomorrow at 7 p.m. inside Hawkins Arena. The showdown with the Seminoles will be the second meeting in Macon in the last three seasons.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (4-4) vs. Florida State (7-1)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Todd Wilson and Sybil Blalock
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Florida State

Gardner at Mercer
Mercer Head Coach Susie Gardner has shaped the program into its winning ways that fans see today. The Bears have reached 20 wins in four consecutive seasons and five of the last six. Gardner is currently at 148 wins at Mercer, further stretching her program record for career wins. Gardner is in her ninth season at the helm of the Bears, ranking second-most seasons coaching in program history. Gardner has also coached in 262 games at Mercer, ranking second behind Ed Nixon (281) for most games coached in Mercer history.

It's the Final Countdown
Mercer is 3-1 in games that the Bears lead with under 5:00 remaining in the contest. Mercer has been able to close out a game when it has the lead, only slipping to Georgia in the final five minutes. The Bears have also pulled out a win when trailing under the five minute mark, defeating Georgia Southern in the second game of the season.

Your Turnovers Equal our Buckets
The Bears have outscored their opponents in points off turnovers in two of the last three games. Mercer scored 27 points off 24 Bowling Green turnovers on Nov. 25 in the Coastal Carolina Thanksgiving Classic. On Saturday, the Bears scored 20 points off of 19 Kennesaw State blunders. Mercer only coughed the ball over seven times, holding the Owls to just four points off turnovers. Mercer prides itself in scoring off turnovers, averaging 16.6 points off opponent turnovers thus far in the season.

Last Time Out
The Bears bounced back with a win over Kennesaw State on Saturday in front of the home faithful in Hawkins Arena, defeating the Owls 64-48. Mercer and Kennesaw State were neck-and-neck in the first quarter as the Owls claimed a narrow advantage, 16-15. Kennesaw State then stretched its lead to seven by halftime, outscoring Mercer 17-11 in the second quarter. The Bears responded in a big way in the third quarter, outscoring the Owls 27-9 for the 53-42 advantage. KeKe Calloway netted 17 of Mercer's 27 points in the third frame. The Bears then iced the game after allowing just six points in the final quarter, the second-lowest quarter that the Owls have posted this season. Kennesaw State's 15-point second half marked the fewest points in a half this season.

Calloway led the Bears in scoring with 25 points, 17 of which came in the third quarter. The senior guard buried four three pointers on the game, all inside the third quarter of play. Rachel Selph chipped in for 15 points on 7-of-11 from the field. Shannon Titus added six points and a career-high nine rebounds to go along with four steals.

Series History
The Bears cling to an 8-7 advantage in the all-time series with the Seminoles. The Bears won the first eight showdowns before falling in seven consecutive contests. Mercer's last win in the series fell on Jan. 26, 1981 when the Bears claimed the four-point victory in Tallahassee.

Silencing the Seminoles
Florida State will play its first true road game of the season when they come into Hawkins Arena. The Noles are 7-1 on the season, with the only loss coming to LSU (58-45) on Nov. 18. Florida State's resume includes a win over No. 12 Iowa in the Bahamas, 71-67.

Four different players are posting double-digits, led by Kiah Gillespie with 17.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. Valencia Myers adds problems on the boards, averaging 9.1 rebounds to compliment 12.3 points per game.

Florida State is outscoring its opponents by 16.8 points per game, knocking down .426 percent of its shots. The Seminoles are outrebounding their opponents by double digits, 41.8-31.6.

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.