Mercer Begins SoCon Tournament Against Wofford Saturday

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Mercer's men's basketball team carries its eight-game winning streak into the Southern Conference Championship Tournament presented by General Shale, as the Bears square off against Wofford Saturday, March 3. Tipoff time at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C., is set for 2:30 p.m. (ET). Mercer is the tournament's No. 4 seed while the Terriers are the tournament's No. 5 seed.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2018 | 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (18-13, 11-7 SoCon) vs. Wofford (20-11, 11-7 SoCon)
Location: Asheville, N.C. | U.S. Cellular Center
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
TV: ESPN3
Radio: 97.3 FM, 103.3 FM, iHeart Radio and Sports Mic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Wofford 24-21
• Current Streak: W2
• Last Meeting: W, 69-68 (2/25/18 at Spartanburg)

BEAR NECESSITIES
About The Terriers
Wofford heads into Saturday's tournament action with an overall record of 20-11 and SoCon mark of 11-7 … The Terriers own several impressive wins on the season, including a 63-60 win at home over Georgia Tech; a 79-75 victory at North Carolina; and a 75-71 triumph at East Tennessee State … Wofford won seven straight games during the month of January and won 12 of 13 outings from Nov. 29-Jan. 27 … The Terriers are one of the most potent shooting teams in the SoCon, leading the league in three-point shooting (41.8%), which ranks 6^th in the NCAA, and also topping the conference in free throw shooting (77.7%), which ranks 11^th nationally … Wofford ranks 2^nd in the SoCon in assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and the Terriers are making an average of 10.5 three pointers per game, 2^nd best in the conference … Fletcher Magee is one of the most dangerous shooters in the conference, averaging 22.3 points per game (1^st in SoCon/10^th in NCAA). He is the league's leading three-point shooter, making a total of 134 on the season (4.3 per game), which is 1^st in the NCAA. Magee also tops the SoCon in free throw shooting (91%), which is 7^th in the country. Magee earned the Malcolm U. Pitt Player of the Year as voted upon by the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) … Post player Cameron Jackson is averaging 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing. He has 40 blocks on the year (1.4 per game) and 50 steals (1.8 per game), both of which rank 2^nd in the SoCon … Mike Young is in his 16^th season as Wofford's head coach and has compiled a record of 268-237. Coach Young has led the Terriers to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Series History
Wofford leads the series 24-21. In SoCon games only, the Terriers are 5-3 vs. the Bears. Mercer snapped a four-game losing streak on Feb. 3 when the Bears knocked off the Terriers 73-65 at Hawkins Arena and that win started Mercer's current eight-game winning streak, which also includes Mercer's thrilling 69-68 victory at Wofford Feb. 25. In the most recent meeting between these two teams, Mercer's Jordan Strawberry turned in a "player of the year" type of performance by scoring 21 points, including the game winning basket with less than 10 seconds remaining. Strawberry scored 19 points in the second half and also grabbed seven rebounds and dealt six assists. Mercer outrebounded Wofford 32-23 and shot an even 50% from the floor (24-48) and 93.3% from the free throw line (14-15) … In the Feb. 3 victory over the Terriers, Mercer's Ross Cummings scored what was then a career-high 22 points on eight of 10 shooting (including six of eight three pointers) to lead the Bears' offensive attack. Desmond Ringer went for 16 while Demetre Rivers tallied 10.

Mercer's Southern Conference Tournament History
This will mark Mercer's fourth season of participating in the Southern Conference Championship Tournament. The Bears are 2-3 in SoCon tournament games, having gone 0-1 in 2016-17; 1-1 in 2015-16; and 1-1 in 2015-14. In SoCon tournament play, Mercer is 1-0 vs. The Citadel; 1-0 vs. VMI; 0-1 vs. Furman; and 0-2 vs. ETSU. This will be Mercer's first meeting against Wofford in SoCon tournament play.

Mercer Winning Streak Reaches Eight
The Bears enter the SoCon tournament on an eight-game winning streak, the longest current streak in the conference. It also matches the school's longest winning streak since the 2013-14 team ran off eight consecutive wins in the month of January. The 2011-12 Mercer club won nine straight games at one point during the season. Mercer's eight-game winning streak is also tied for the sixth longest current winning streak in NCAA Division I men's basketball. Only Michigan State (12), Murray State (11), Gonzaga (11), Middle Tennessee State (10) and St. Bonaventure (10) have longer winning streaks than the Bears. Besides Mercer, other teams currently riding eight-game winning streaks include Lehigh and South Dakota State.

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

1st in rebounding defense (29.0)
1^st in field goal% (47.9%)
2^nd in rebounding margin (+5.7)
2^nd in 3-pt. field goal% (39.3%)
3^rd in free throw% (75.7%)
3^rd in field goal% defense (43.0%)
3^rd in assist/turnover margin (1.2)
4^th in scoring offense (76.5)
4th in scoring defense (68.7)
4^th in scoring margin (+7.5)

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

Stephon Jelks – 2nd in defensive rebounds (5.4)
Stephon Jelks – 3rd in rebounding (7.2)
Jordan Strawberry – 1st in assist/turnover ratio (3.2)
Jordan Strawberry – 3rd in free throw% (87.4%)
Jordan Strawberry – 3rd in assists (4.9)
Ross Cummings – 3rd in 3-pt.% (44.1%)

Strawberry and Jelks Earn All-Southern Conference Honors
Mercer senior men's basketball student-athletes Jordan Strawberry and Stephon Jelks have received All-Southern Conference accolades as announced by the league office Feb. 28. Both players, who joined the school's 1,000-point club earlier this season, were named to the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) second-team. In the coaches' voting, Strawberry earned third-team all-league honors.

Strawberry, a 6-1 guard from Anaheim, Calif., is one of the conference's top all around backcourt performers. He leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (3.2), ranks third in assists (4.9) and is the SoCon's third leading free throw shooter (87.4%). Strawberry, who is averaging 10.8 points per game, heads into this week's tournament action with 479 career assists, which ranks third best in school history. He has scored 1,136 career points, currently 23^rd on the Mercer career chart, and is one of only three Mercer players to score more than 1,000 points and dish out more than 400 assists in a career.

Jelks has been one of the league's top rebounders this season. He currently averages 7.2 boards per game, third best in the SoCon, and is scoring at a 9.7 clip. The 6-6 forward from Marietta, Ga., leads the conference in double-double performances with six. Jelks is the third all-time leading rebounder in Mercer history with 820 career boards, which ranks best among all active SoCon players. He currently has 1,089 career points and is only the third player in Mercer men's basketball history to score more than 1,000 points and grab more than 800 rebounds during his career.

Ringer Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team
Senior postman Desmond Ringer has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team. This squad annually recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for the combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Ringer, a 6-9 product of McDonough, Ga., was selected to the NCAA Division I District 4 team, which represents universities in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. Ringer has compiled a 3.90 Grade Point Average while majoring in Higher Education. He has started all 31 games for the Bears this season and is averaging 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Ringer is shooting a team-best 60.8% from the field and his 59.7% career field goal mark (270-452) is best among active SoCon players. He is also hitting 83.3% of his free throw attempts and his play has been instrumental during Mercer's current eight-game winning streak.

Coach Hoffman Wins 500^th Game at Men's Collegiate Level
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman has certainly achieved a great deal of success during his coaching career and he reached a milestone with the Jan. 18 victory over VMI – his 500^th win at the men's collegiate level - that will only add to his list of superlative accomplishments. Coach Hoffman accumulated 243 wins as the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist from 1990-99; 68 victories while at Texas Pan-American (1999-2004); and he has won 197 games as Mercer's head coach (2008-present) for a current total of 508 victories. Coach Hoffman has led Mercer to unprecedented success during his tenure with the Bears. The two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year has directed Mercer to 18 post-season victories and 10 power conference wins. Twice the Bears have won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership.

Senior Trio Joins The 1,000-Point Club
In January Stephon Jelks became the 39^th player in Mercer men's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000-point career scoring mark. The senior forward from Marietta, Ga., enters Saturday's game with 1,089 career points, which ranks 31st in school history. Next in line for Jelks to pass include Bob Reeves (1,097/1962-66); and Jerry Thruston (1,099/1975-77) … In February Mercer senior guard Jordan Strawberry became the 40^th player in Mercer men's basketball history to score 1,000 or more career points. Strawberry enters the Wofford game with 1,136 career points, which ranks 23^rd on the career scoring chart. Next in line for Strawberry to move past include Brian Mills (1,138/2008-11); Wesley Duke (1,141/2000-05); Jakob Gallon (1,153/2008-14); and Robert Belloir (1,155/1967-69) … In Mercer's Feb. 20 win against Western Carolina, Rivers eclipsed the 1,000-point mark with a 24-point effort vs. the Catamounts. He followed that up with a superb 22-point showing against The Citadel. Rivers enters the SoCon tournament with 1,042 career points, which ranks 35^th on the all-time list. Next in line for Rivers to pass include Will Emerson (1,050/2002-06); and Bud Thomas (1,059/2010-14).

Jelks Moves Up Career Rebounding Charts
Jelks is also climbing up the school's career rebounding charts. He comes into the Wofford game with 820 career rebounds, which currently ranks 3rd on the all-time career rebounding charts. Jelks is only the 3rd player in Mercer men's basketball history to score more than 1,000 points and grab more than 800 rebounds during his career, joining Steve Moody and Scott Emerson on that illustrious list.

Strawberry Climbs Up Career Assists List
Strawberry comes into the Wofford game with 479 career assists, which is 3^rd best in school history. Strawberry is one of only three Mercer players to score more than 1,000 points and dish out more than 400 assists in a career. The other two players who have surpassed those two milestones are Langston Hall and James Florence.

Bear Tracks

Mercer won its eighth straight contest Feb. 25 with a thrilling 69-68 victory at Wofford. This matches the team's longest winning streak since the 2013-14 season, which saw Mercer run off eight consecutive wins in the month of January that season … In the victory over Wofford, Strawberry turned in a 21-point, seven-rebound, six-assist effort, scoring the game-winning basket with less than 10 seconds remaining … In the victory over The Citadel, Rivers, who prepped at nearby Stratford High School, scored a game-high 22 points while playing in front of dozens of family members and friends from the Charleston area. In the Senior Night victory over WCU, Rivers equaled his season-high with 24 points, hitting nine of 12 field goals, including three of four from three point land. Rivers went over the 1,000 career scoring mark with his offensive output that evening.
Strawberry has strung together consecutive stellar performances. As mentioned, he went for 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the Feb. 25 triumph at Wofford. He was solid on both ends of the court in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel. The senior guard scored 17 points, dished out a season-high nine assists and committed just one turnover … Strawberry played one of his finest games in his Mercer career in the Feb. 17 home court comeback win over UNCG. In that victory the senior guard connected on eight of 14 field goal attempts and nailed all 11 of his free throws to tally a game-high 27 points … Strawberry comes into the Wofford game with a career free throw shooting percentage of 86.2% (237-275). That ranks 10^th on the SoCon's career list. Strawberry ranks 3rd in the SoCon in free throw shooting for all games played, connecting on 87.4% of his attempts. In conference action only, Strawberry leads the league in free throw shooting (92.8%), having nailed 64-69 attempts … Strawberry continues to rank as the SoCon leader in assist/turnover ratio (3.2), which ranks 1st in the league. Strawberry dished out seven assists in the win over Samford, handed out six assists in the victory at VMI, passed for five assists vs. UNCG and distributed six assists in the home game vs. Furman. Strawberry also handed out seven dimes in the Feb. 12 win over Samford and dealt eight assists in the Feb. 15 triumph over VMI. On Senior Night in the win over WCU, he dished out a game-high eight assists. He recorded a season-high nine assists in the Feb. 23 victory at The Citadel. The senior guard has 151 assists on the season (4.9 per game/3rd in the league) while committing just 47 turnovers … Strawberry scored 22 points vs. The Citadel and went for 18 points in vs. Furman. In the Feb. 3 victory over Wofford, Strawberry dished out a game-high five assists and dealt out eight dimes in a most recent outing vs. UTC … His 18-point, seven-assist, and six-rebound showing in the win over Samford was another superb all-around performance of the season.
Jelks leads the SoCon with six double-double performances on the season, including one stretch of four in a row. The senior had put together four straight double-double performances until his streak was snapped – barely snapped – against ETSU. The senior had 10 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the win over UTC. He went for 13 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Samford. In the Jan. 18 triumph over VMI, he tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Against UNCG, Jelks contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Bears' hard-fought 70-66 overtime loss. The senior tallied 14 points and contributed nine rebounds vs. ETSU … Jelks is the team's 4th leading scorer (9.7) and he is the league's 3rd leading rebounder (7.2) … Jelks' 820 career rebounds ranks best among active SoCon players … Jelks has eight games this season of 10 rebounds are more; which is tied with UNCG's James Dickey for the most in the league thus far this season.
Desmond Ringer is playing the basketball of his career in this his senior season. The senior post man had a double-double of his own vs. UTC (14/10) and equaled his career-high in rebounds with 12 boards vs. Samford. Against VMI, Ringer grabbed 11 rebounds as the Bears dominated the backboards 50-31. Ringer was a perfect 9-9 from the floor with a 21-point showing vs. ETSU … In SoCon games only, Ringer is averaging 7.0 boards per outing, which is 4th in the conference. Against Furman, Ringer equaled his career-high with 22 points on seven of eight shooting from the field and a perfect eight for eight at the free throw line. Ringer turned in an impressive 16-point, six-rebound effort in the home win over Wofford … Des showed up big in the road win at UTC, scoring a team-high 17 points on 8-9 shooting while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. His traditional three-point play with 3:23 remaining gave the Bears a 72-71 lead in what might have been the biggest play of the game … Des was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw stripe in the home victory over VMI and nailed all six of his field goal attempts in the Senior Night victory over WCU … Des pulled down a team-high seven boards in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel and followed that up with a solid 10-point, nine-rebound showing in the Feb. 25 win at Wofford … Ringer's career field goal percentage of 59.7% is best among active SoCon performers.
Demetre Rivers is Mercer's 2nd leading scorer (11.2) and is hitting a team-best 90.2% from the free throw stripe … Rivers recently put together back-to-back outings in which he has scored 20 or more points … Rivers poured in a game-high 22 points in the Feb. 23 triumph at The Citadel. He equaled his season-high in points with a sterling 24-point effort in the Senior Night victory over WCU, a point production that sent him over the 1,000-point mark in his career … Rivers also scored 24 points vs. Alabama. In that contest, the senior connected on six of eight field goal attempts, including three of four behind the arc, and nailed nine of 10 free throw attempts. Rivers helped ignite a furious rally for the Bears down the stretch, scoring five points in the closing seconds to almost lead Mercer to the upset win over the Crimson Tide. Rivers tallied 11 points in the victory vs. Kennesaw State and his spectacular shot block that landed up in the stands earned the #2 rating on the Dec. 28 edition of ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Day. Rivers scored 13 clutch points in the win over VMI and went for 11 points vs. UNCG. He tallied some big baskets down the stretch in the win over Wofford, finishing with 10 points, including 2-3 from three point range, and followed that up with a solid 13-point effort in the victory over Chattanooga … Rivers exploded for 21 points in the Feb. 15 win over VMI, hitting seven of eight field goals, including three of four behind the three point arc … Rivers' career 86.2% from the free throw line ranks 4th among active SoCon players.
Ross Cummings has been on fire over the past second half of the conference season and his accurate outside shooting is a big reason the Bears have put together this winning streak. Over the past 10 games, nine of which he has started, Cummings is averaging 16.4 points per contest. He has scored in double figures in nine of the 10 games and is shooting 48.7% from three point range (37-76). 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 last Saturday's comeback win over 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.
Freshman Marcus Cohen came off the bench to tally a career-high 16 points in the game vs. ETSU. In that contest, Cohen was 7-12 from the field and also handed out five assists. He came off the bench against Furman and turned in what was then a career-best 14-point performance against the Paladins … In the Feb. 20 victory over WCU Cohen hit for eight points in just 11 minutes of action.
Jaylen Stowe came off the bench against Furman to tally 10 points, which equaled his career high. He also grabbed a career-best nine rebounds … Stowe had an eight-point scoring effort in the Feb. 15 victory over VMI. He turned in a solid performance in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds in 16 minutes of play and also showed up big in the Feb. 25 victory at Wofford, tallying five points, including a three pointer, and grabbing three rebounds.
Mercer received solid play off the bench in its win over UTC, with Cory Kilby scoring five, Ryan Johnson four, and Mac Brydon and Stowe contributing two points apiece … Johnson came off the bench to toss in seven points in just six minutes of action vs. Samford. Johnson also contributed two points in the Feb. 25 win at Wofford … Kilby scored 11 points coming off the bench in the Feb. 20 win over VMI. Kilby's offensive play was clutch in the Feb. 23 win over The Citadel, as he hit four of six shots to score nine points in 20 minutes of action and scored four points in the Feb. 25 triumph at Wofford.
Mercer has four players hitting 80% or better from the free throw line, including Rivers (90.2%); Strawberry (87.4%); Holland (83.6%); and Ringer (83.3%).

Holland Sidelined With Injury
Ria'n Holland, a preseason all-conference selection, has been sidelined since Jan. 18 with a hand injury. The senior guard was averaging 19 points prior to his injury. He had scored in double figures in all 16 games he had played this season and had reached the double figure mark in 43 of his 48 career games as a Bear. Holland was also named to the 2017-18 Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List, as announced by CollegeInsider.com earlier this season. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top NCAA Division I mid-major player.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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 Begins SoCon Tournament Against Wofford Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mac Brydon

Ross Cummings

Ria'n Holland

Stephon Jelks

Ryan Johnson

Cory Kilby

Desmond Ringer

Demetre Rivers

Jordan Strawberry

Footer

Mercer University Athletics

Mercer Begins SoCon Tournament Against Wofford Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mac Brydon

Ross Cummings

Ria'n Holland

Stephon Jelks

Ryan Johnson

Cory Kilby

Desmond Ringer

Demetre Rivers

Jordan Strawberry

Related Videos

Sponsors

Footer