Bears Host Mocs in Orange Out Contest

Saturday, February 17

Greensboro, N.C.

4 P.M.

Mercer University

UNCG

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

2/21/2018 2:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Tickets Game Notes

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Women's Basketball will play host to Chattanooga tomorrow at 7 p.m. to kick start its final two-game home stand of the season. Tomorrow's tilt will also serve as the Orange Out game, encouraging all students, faculty and fans in the community to wear orange and be loud. The Bears will then close the regular season on Saturday with ETSU at 2 p.m.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (25-2, 12-0) vs. Chattanooga (16-10, 7-5)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Todd Wilson, Sybil Blalock, Kristin Banks
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Chattanooga
PROMO: Orange Out

Time to Bear Witness
The Bears continue to receive national attention as of late, both by CollegeInsider.com and ESPNW. Mercer cracked the USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 on Tuesday, falling in at No. 25. The Bears are the first SoCon Top 25 team since Chattanooga in 2015. Mercer has also climbed up one spot in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Poll, falling in at No. 4, while also receiving one first-place vote.

Winning in all Locations
Mercer is recently coming off a two-game road swing in which they picked up wins against Western Carolina and UNCG. The Bears capped off the season with a perfect 13-0 mark in true road games. Mercer has impressed in front of the Hawkins' crowd as well, accumulating an 11-1 record at home this season.

Standout Seniors
Thursday and Saturday will be the final home games for the class of 2018, with Saturday serving as Senior Day for Shon Kitchens, Kahlia Lawrence, Sydni Means, Kayla Potts and Alex Williams. The senior class accounts for 49.8 percent of Mercer's scoring this season. Mercer's class of 2018 is 45- 12 in contests played at home over the last four seasons, including 11-1 thus far in the 2017-18 campaign.

Last Time Out
Mercer defeated UNCG on Saturday, 57-54, clinching at least a share of the 2018 SoCon Regular Season title for the third consecutive season. Mercer dropped the first quarter 13-8, before rebounding with a 15-10 victory in the second frame to even the game at 23 apiece at halftime. The two squads drew even in the third quarter, 14-14, setting up a dramatic fourth-quarter finish. With Mercer leading 42-41 with 6:59 remaining, the Bears went on an 11-4 run to capture the eight point lead with 2:17 left in the game. Mercer put the game away after making four clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds, walking away with the three-point triumph.

Kahlia Lawrence registered a team-high 15 points in the win, knocking down 7-of-14 with five boards. KeKe Calloway (12) and Sydni Means (11) rounded out the double-digit scorers, while Means also added nine assists and five rebounds. Amanda Thompson fell just short of a double-double with eight points and nine boards.

Series History
Mercer is 3-16 all-time against the Mocs heading into tomorrow's tilt, including 2-6 inside Hawkins Arena. The Bears picked up a pivotal win earlier in the season at Chattanooga, defeating the Mocs 71-50 for their first win at Chattanooga in program history.

Smacking Chatt
Chattanooga enters tomorrow's tilt with a 16-10 overall record, including 8-5 in conference play. The Mocs have captured three wins in their last five games, including a 76-46 victory over Wofford on Saturday. The win over Wofford snapped a twogame skid against ETSU (61-55) and Furman (50- 45).

Keiana Gilbert leads the squad in points per game, averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. Gilbert is joined by her siser Aryanna Gilbert with 12.7 points and 6.0 boards per game. Lakelyn Bouldin paces the squad from downtown, knocking down 56 threes on the year and averaging 12.7 points.

The Mocs lead the conference in scoring defense (55.4 points allowed per game), blocked shots per game (4.2), threes made per game (5.9) and field goal percentage defense (.380).

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.