Mercer Set for In-State Battle with Georgia Southern

MACON, Ga. – Mercer's men's basketball team returns home for a weekend engagement with in-state rival Georgia Southern Saturday, Dec. 8 Tipoff time at Hawkins Arena is 4 p.m. (ET).

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 | 4 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (4-5, 0-1 SoCon) vs. Georgia Southern (5-2, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
TV: ESPN3
Radio: 100.9 The Creek FM and SportsMic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Mercer trails 40-74
• Current Streak: W1
• Last Meeting: W, 80-74 at Macon (11/20/16)

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES
This will be the 115^th meeting between these two in-state schools. Georgia Southern holds the upper hand 74-40. However, the Bears lead 24-22 in games played at Macon. The series began in 1933 and the last meeting came in 2016, with Mercer prevailing 80-67 at Macon. The two teams formerly competed against one another in the Trans America Athletic Conference.

BEAR NECESSITIES
QUICK RECAP
Despite a strong second half showing, Mercer wasn't able to pull out the road win at Florida Atlantic losing 68-64 to the Owls Dec. 5. After struggling offensively in the opening half, scoring just 19 points, the Bears rallied with a 45-point second half showing. Ethan Stair scored all 13 of his points in the second half to spark the comeback. Jaylen Stowe led the Bears in scoring with 16 points, while Djordje Dimitrijevic went for 12 … Mercer saw an eight-point halftime lead go by the boards in losing its Southern Conference opener 79-69 to The Citadel Dec. 1 at Charleston. Ethan Stair turned in perhaps the finest all-around performance of his collegiate career, racking up his first double-double with 11 points and a career-best 14 rebounds in the losing effort. Ross Cummings tallied a game-high 22 points, thanks to six three-point baskets. Mercer took a 33-25 lead into the locker room, only to have The Citadel score the first 10 points of the second half, as Mercer's outside shooting went cold and the Bulldogs' offense heated up. Mercer was outscored 54-36 over the final 20 minutes … Ross Cummings poured in a career-high 31 points as Mercer won its eighth straight game at Hawkins Arena with a 90-65 conquest of Brewton-Parker Nov. 27. Cummings sank a career-best eight three pointers enroute to the scoring outburst. Djordje Dimitrijevic contributed 15 points and dished out a career-high nine assists … Mercer nearly overcame a 21-point second half deficit only to fall short 78-74 at North Carolina State on Nov. 24. Down 56-35 with 13:07 remaining, Mercer went on a 39-20 run to cut the lead to two at 76-74 with seven seconds left. NC State sealed the game with a pair of late free throws. Newcomer Djordje Dimitrijevic scored a career-high 25 points for the Bears, on 7-10 shooting from the floor and was a perfect 11-11 from the stripe. Dimitrijevic also pulled down a season-high seven rebounds. Jaylen Stowe tallied a career-best 15 points … The Bears came out clicking on all cylinders, building up a 45-14 halftime lead, enroute to a convincing 80-42 triumph over Maryland Eastern Shore Nov. 20 at Hawkins Arena. Four Bears scored in double figures, led by freshman guard DJ Peavy who tallied 15 … Mercer relied on a strong second half to claim its second win of the season Nov. 16 as the Bears put away UT Martin 77-60 at Hawkins Arena. Making his first start as a Mercer Bear, junior guard Djordje Dimitrijevic led the way with 18 points. The junior guard from Serbia connected on seven of 13 field goals with seven assists in 35 minutes of playing time. Junior guard Ross Cummings tallied 17 points, sinking five three point baskets … Mercer nearly erased a 19-point second half deficit Nov. 13 before losing a hard-fought 62-60 decision at Georgia State. Trailing 55-36 with 9:57 remaining, Mercer ended the game on a 24-7 run and had a chance to take the lead on its final possession but junior guard Djordje Dimitrijevic misfired on a three-pointer with four seconds remaining. Ethan Stair led the Mercer attack with 12 points and nine rebounds. Ross Cummings and Dimitrijevic caught fire in the second half, finishing with 10 and nine points, respectively … Mercer evened its record to 1-1 on the year with a 105-52 conquest of Piedmont College Nov. 9 at Macon. Seven players scored in double figures, led by freshman guard DJ Peavy who dropped 16. Mercer ran out to an early 10 point lead at 25-15 before going on a 17-0 run to gain control of the game at 42-15. The 105 points were the most scored by a Mercer team since the home opener last season when the Bears went for 110 points against Toccoa Falls … Mercer fell 75-67 to UAB Nov. 6 in its season opener. First-year player Djordje Dimitrijevic came off the bench to lead all scorers for the Bears in that game with 19 points.

ABOUT THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern brings a 5-2 mark into Saturday's matchup. The Eagles, members of the Sun Belt Conference, won their first five games of the season before losing their last two outings. Georgia Southern and Mercer already have one common opponent on the season – Florida Atlantic. Earlier this week, Mercer lost 68-64 at FAU. Georgia Southern defeated FAU 80-70 earlier this season in the Island of Bahamas Showcase … Georgia Southern features five players scoring in double figures. Tookie Brown leads the way with a 17.7 per game average while shooting 55.6% from the field. Quan Jackson is scoring 16.2 points per game while pulling down 5.4 rebounds. Montae Glenn is the team's top rebounder at 7.0 boards per game. The Eagles are scoring 88.4 points per game while shooting 52.9% from the floor … Mark Byington is in his sixth season as head coach at Georgia Southern and has compiled a 95-74 won-loss record during his tenure at Statesboro.

MERCER WINNINGEST PROGRAM IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA OVER THE PAST DECADE
Under Coach Bob Hoffman, Mercer has won 202 games over the past 10-plus seasons (2008-09 to present), making the Bears the winningest Division I men's basketball program in the state of Georgia during that time period. Georgia State has the second most wins during that time frame (188), followed by the University of Georgia (180). Over the past decade, the Bears have won 19 or more games six different seasons.

NEW SEASON, NEW TEAM
Last season, the Bears featured a veteran senior-laden squad, including a trio of 1,000-point career scorers. Senior starters Stephon Jelks, Jordan Strawberry and Demetre Rivers all joined the school's 1,000-point club last season. Additionally, both Strawberry and Jelks earned second-team All-SoCon honors. Senior post man Desmond Ringer was recognized for his off the court achievements, as he was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Give Back Team, a prestigious group of 10 men's college basketball players that is recognized for their outstanding community service efforts. Additionally, Ringer's 59.4% career field goal percentage tops the Mercer charts for a minimum of 240 made. Senior guard Ria'n Holland, a preseason all-conference selection, was sidelined for 16 games with a broken hand, but still finished with 316 points and a team-best 17.6 per game scoring average … Mercer just may be the youngest team in the Southern Conference this season. The Bears welcome 10 newcomers to this year's club, including eight freshmen. Five freshmen have seen action thus far this season … Ross Cummings, a 6-3 junior guard, is the lone returning starter. Others who are back that saw extensive action a year ago include forward Cory Kilby and guards Jaylen Stowe, Marcus Cohen, and Ethan Stair … Mercer also features two new assistant coaches on this year's staff. Coach Paul Mrozik joined the Bears following extensive experience at the collegiate, professional, international, and high school levels. Coach Philip Pearson joined the staff following more than two decades of experience coaching at multiple Division I programs.

COACH BOB HOFFMAN WINS 200^TH GAME AT MERCER AND 600^TH GAME AS COLLEGIATE COACH
Under the direction of Head Coach Bob Hoffman, the Mercer men's basketball program has achieved a level of unprecedented success in the school's history. As Coach Hoffman begins his 11^th season with the Bears, that success and standard of excellence is only expected to continue. Coach Hoffman won his 200^th game as the Mercer head coach with the Bears' 77-60 conquest of UT Martin Nov. 16 and heads into Saturday's contest with 202 wins at Mercer. Coach Hoffman is 21 victories away from becoming the winningest men's basketball coach in Mercer history. Coach Bill Bibb (1974-89) currently holds the record with 222 victories … Coach Hoffman captured his 600^th victory as a collegiate head coach with the 80-42 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. He claimed 88 wins as the women's coach at Southern Nazarene and at the men's level won 243 games at Oklahoma Baptist, 68 games at Texas Pan Am, and 202 and counting at Mercer … During the 2017-18 season, Coach Hoffman achieved yet another milestone in his illustrious career, winning his 500^th game at the men's collegiate level. A two-time conference Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year, Coach Hoffman has directed Mercer to six postseason tournament berths, 19 postseason tournament victories and 10 power conference wins. Twice the Bears have won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership … Coach Hoffman's coaching legacy also includes tremendous success at the NAIA level. As head coach of the Southern Nazarene women's program from 1987-90, Coach Hoffman led the team to the 1988-89 national championship. For his efforts, Coach Hoffman was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year, along with the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Coach of the Year honors. He also was named the SAC Coach of the Year the following season, 1989-90 … Coach Hoffman continued his winning ways as head coach of the men's program at Oklahoma Baptist University from 1990-99. Twice he was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year (1992-93 & 1996-97) and was the SAC Coach of the Year on three different occasions (1992-93, 1995-96 & 1996-97). All said, he has earned seven conference coach of the year accolades and three national coach of the year honors during his career.

Where the Bears Rank in Southern Conference 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 free throw percentage (.738)
2^nd in field goal percentage defense (.396)
2^nd in scoring defense (64.6)

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

Djordje Dimitrijevic – 1^st in free throw percentage (.946) & 10^th in NCAA
Djordje Dimitrijevic – 13^th in scoring (13.6)
Ross Cummings – 14^th in scoring (13.4)

BEAR TRACKS
Mercer has been chosen to finish fifth in the Southern Conference according to the 2018-19 preseason poll. UNCG, who captured both the regular season and conference championship titles a year ago, has been selected to repeat as league champions once again this year … Guard Ross Cummings, a 6-3 junior from Dickson, Tenn., has been selected to the preseason All-SoCon Team. Cummings started 12 games a year ago, averaging 8.7 points per contest. Filling in for the injured Ria'n Holland, Cummings quickly earned the reputation of being one of the most accurate outside shooters in the SoCon. He knocked down a team-best 57 three-pointers, shooting 43.2% from behind the arc, good for fourth best in the conference. Cummings led the club in scoring on four different occasions, scoring a career-high 23 points against UNCG … Sophomore guard Marcus Cohen appeared in all 34 games and ranked second on the team in assists, while averaging 4.2 points per outing. Senior forward Cory Kilby saw action in 33 of 34 contests and scored at a 4.0 clip while senior guard Jaylen Stowe played in all 34 games and tallied 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Ethan Stair was plagued by injuries much of the season but managed to average 5.9 points while appearing in 20 games … In the opener vs. UAB, three Bears scored in double figures, including Dimitrijevic (19), Stair (12), and Stowe (11). Stowe also paced the team with seven rebounds. Cohen had a team-high four assists. Freshman DJ Peavy was impressive in his first outing, knocking down all three of his field goal attempts, including two from behind the three-point arc, to tally nine points … Seven Bears scored in double figures in the victory over Piedmont College. Peavy led the way with 16 … Mercer mounted a furious second half comeback vs. Georgia State, outscoring the Panthers 35-22 in the final 20 minutes … The Bears outrebounded Georgia State 39-31. The Bears also had as many field goals (23) as Georgia State; however, the Panthers sank 15 three pointers compared to Mercer's seven. Stair's nine rebounds vs. Georgia State equaled his career high … Mercer sank 11 three-pointers in the 77-60 victory over UT Martin. Jaylen Stowe paced the Bears with seven rebounds vs. UT Martin. Stowe led the way with a career-best four steals in the win over UMES. Despite battling foul trouble, Stowe scored a career-high 15 points in 25 minutes of play vs. NC State. He also was credited with a pair of steals on the night. The senior guard showed his toughness vs. Brewton-Parker with eight points and seven rebounds. Stowe followed that up with a 15-point showing at The Citadel. Stowe scored a career-high 16 points in the loss at Florida Atlantic. He now ranks as the team's third leading scoring, averaging 10.9 points per outing. He's shooting 53.3% from the floor and averaging 5.0 boards per outing … Cory Kilby pulled down eight rebounds vs. NC State, one shy of his career-best. He also came close to having a double-double in the win over Brewton-Parker with 10 points and eight boards. Kilby drained eight of nine free throws (as a team Mercer connected on 20-23) in the close loss at FAU … Freshman guard Daniel Love has received some considerable playing time the past couple of games. Against The Citadel Love scored a career-high nine points and dishing out a career-best five assists … Eight Bears are currently averaging 14 or more minutes of playing time per contest … Florida Atlantic will be the second Sun Belt opponent for the Bears this season. Mercer dropped a narrow 62-60 decision at Georgia State earlier this season.

NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT
Making his debut in a Mercer Bear uniform, junior college transfer Djordje Dimitrijevic had a strong showing in the season opener vs. UAB. The 6-2 guard from Serbia, who transferred in from Western Nebraska Community College, came off the bench against the Blazers to lead all scorers with 19 points. Djordje hit five of 10 field goals, including one three point basket, and connected on eight of 10 from the charity stripe. He also handed out three assists in just 19 minutes of play. In his first career start in a Bears uniform, the crafty Serbian scored a game-high 18 points and dished out seven assists vs. UT Martin. Djordje was exceptional vs. NC State. In 30 minutes of action, he scored a career-high 25 points on seven of 10 shooting from the field and was a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down a season-best seven rebounds vs. the Wolfpack and scored the team's final six points to help fuel a furious second-half comeback … Dimitrijevic is the Bears' leading scorer (13.6) and tops the club in assists with 3.7 per contest. Djordje has been extremely accurate at the free throw, connecting on 35-37 attempts for a SoCon leading 94.6%, which ranks 10^th in NCAA Division I … For the second time this season, DJ Peavy paced the Bears' scoring attack with a game-high 15 points in the victory over UMES. Rookie post man Fardaws Aimaq pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds vs. UMES. Aimaq is scoring 4.3 points and grabbing 5.1 boards per contest … Rookie Daniel Love received additional playing time vs. The Citadel due to injuries to guards Marcus Cohen and DJ Peavy and he responded with a nine-point, five-assist showing … Peavy is averaging 6.1 points per outing while connecting on 66.7% of his three point attempts (10-15).

STAIR PLAYING HIS BEST BASKETBALL
Junior guard Ethan Stair is playing the best basketball of his Mercer career. Fresh off his first career double-double vs. The Citadel (11 points/14 rebounds), Stair is the team's leading rebounder (6.1) and fourth leading scorer (10.4). He's shooting 56.5% from the floor and 84.6% from the charity stripe. Stair scored all 13 of his points in the second half vs. Florida Atlantic, nearly leading the Bears to a comeback road win. Coach Bob Hoffman believes Stair can be one of the best rebounding guards in the country and he has certainly fit that role thus far this season.

ROSS CUMMINGS A.K.A. "THE MAMBA"
Cummings made the most of his opportunity of seeing unexpected playing time a year ago to emerge as one of the surprise offensive performers in the SoCon. When Holland went down with a hand injury in the game at VMI, Cummings stepped in over the second half of the season to make his mark for the Bears. Deemed the "Mamba," for raising his ability to another level, Cummings went for a career-high 22 points against Wofford, sinking six of eight three point shots, including three crucial baskets down the stretch. He went for 16 points on 6-12 shooting (4-6 on 3's) in the win over UTC … The "Mamba" scored 13 second half points enroute to a team-high 21-point effort in the Feb. 12 win at Samford … Cummings tallied 13 points in the Feb. 15 victory over VMI … In Mercer's comeback win over eventual league champ UNCG, Cummings broke his career-high by hitting for 23 points, knocking down seven of 10 field goal attempts, including four of six from behind the three point arc. Cummings totaled 19 points in the Feb. 20 victory over WCU, hitting five of eight three pointers … Cummings went for 14 points in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel … Cummings appeared in 28 games with 12 starts, averaging 8.7 points and knocking down a team-best 57 three-pointers … Following a sluggish start in this year's season opener (just two points vs. UAB), Cummings responded with a 14-point showing in the victory over Piedmont. The "Mamba" connected on three long range jumpers during Mercer's second half run against Georgia State and finished the contest with 10 points. He connected on five long balls from behind the arc vs. UT Martin to finish with 17 points … Cummings drained a pair of three pointers vs. NC State enroute to a 13-point performance … The long range marksman from Dickson, Tenn., erupted for a career-high 31 points vs. Brewton-Parker, highlighted by a career-best eight three point buckets. He followed that up with a 22-point outburst at The Citadel, draining six baskets from downtown. Cummings is the team's second scorer (13.4) and is hitting 40.6% of his three point attempts (26-64).

WHAT'S NEXT
Mercer takes a 10-day break from game action before returning to the hardwood Tuesday, Dec. 18 to face the Florida Gators in Gainesville. Tipoff time is set for 8 p.m. (ET) at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center with the SEC Network televising live.

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.

Mercer Set for In-State Battle with Georgia Southern

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Players Mentioned

Fardaws Aimaq

Marcus Cohen

Ross Cummings

Djordje Dimitrijevic

Cory Kilby

Daniel Love

DJ Peavy

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

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Mercer University Athletics

Mercer Set for In-State Battle with Georgia Southern

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Players Mentioned

Fardaws Aimaq

Marcus Cohen

Ross Cummings

Djordje Dimitrijevic

Cory Kilby

Daniel Love

DJ Peavy

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

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