No. 25 Bears Open SoCon Tournament with Catamounts

Thursday, March 1

Asheville, N.C.

11 A.M.

Mercer University

Western Carolina

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

No. 25 Bears Open SoCon Tournament with Catamounts

2/28/2018 11:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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Top-seeded Mercer takes on No. 8 seed Western Carolina

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – The 25^th-ranked Bears will kick off the 2018 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship tomorrow against the 8^th-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts. The two squads will tip off at 11 a.m. in the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Thursday, March 1, 2018 | 11 a.m.
Teams: No. 1 Mercer (27-2, 14-0) vs. No. 8 Western Carolina (5-24, 1-13)
Location: Asheville, N.C. | U.S. Cellular Center
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Pete Yanity, Robin Muller, Stormy Buonantony
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
Radio: Fox Sports 1670, iHeartRadio, Sports Mic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina

SoCon's Finest
Kahlia Lawrence was tabbed as the 2018 Southern Conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season on Tuesday. Lawrence became the first-ever student-athlete to be named three time Player of the Year in the SoCon. In addition, Lawrence was joined by Sydni Means and KeKe Calloway on the SoCon First Team All-Conference. With Mercer slating three players on the first team, it is safe to say that Mercer has the most elite back court in the SoCon.

Bear Witness
The Bears continue to receive national attention as of late, both by ESPNW and CollegeInsider.com. Most recently, Mercer cracked the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time since 1980, coming in at No. 25. The Bears are also ranked 25th in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week. Mercer has been tabbed No. 4 in the ESPNW Mid-Major Poll, while being ranked third in the CollegeInsider.com Top 25 mid-major rankings. The Bears are receiving one first-place vote in the CollegeInsider.com poll.

History in Asheville
This will be the fourth season that Mercer has competed in the Southern Conference Tournament. The Bears are 5-3 in the U.S. Cellular Center through the first three seasons. Mercer has competed in two consecutive SoCon Tournament title games, falling to Chattanooga in both games by the final scores of 65-57 (2016) and 61-59 (2017). The Bears enter the tournament as the top seed for the first time in program history, aiming to make a third trip to the championship game, with the third time being the charm.

Last Time Out
Mercer defeated ETSU on Saturday, 63-48, to cap off an undefeated Southern Conference slate, while also running the win streak to 24 games. The Bears got the game started with senior Shon Kitchens setting the tone with a fast-break layup. The Bears outscored the Bucs 11-7 in the opening quarter, setting the tone early. ETSU clawed back into the game, taking a one-point lead before the Bears ended the half on a 9-3 run for the 26-21 lead at the break. Mercer outscored the Bucs 20-11 in the third quarter, building a 14-point lead at the end of the frame. The Bears capped off the regular season and Senior Day with a 17-16 advantage in the final quarter, claiming the 15-point win.

All five seniors started in the game as the Bears were led by Kahlia Lawrence and KeKe Calloway with 15 points apiece. Sydni Means chipped in 13 points, while dishing out four assists and swiping three steals.

Series History
Mercer is a perfect 13-0 all-time against the Catamounts. The Bears are 7-0 inside Hawkins Arena and 6-0 inside the Ramsey Center. This will be the first-ever meeting on a neutral court between the two programs.

Clipping the Claws
Western Carolina enters the game with a 5-24 overall mark, including 1-13 in Southern Conference action. The Catamounts enter the SoCon tournament on a four-game losing streak, while also dropping seven of their last eight games. Western Carolina has notched only three wins against NCAA Division I programs.

The Catamounts are led in scoring by Sherae Bonner with 9.2 points per game, while also leading the team in boards with 8.3. Judith Martin Ruiz leads the team in total assists with 67, while averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

As a team, Western Carolina averages 55.3 points per game, yielding 63.6 points to opponents. The Catamounts struggle on the offensive end, but have been able to pick up the slack on the defensive side of the ball. Western Carolina ranks atop the conference in three-point field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to make just .272 percent of threes. The Catamounts also rank second in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to .384 percent from the floor.

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.