Mercer Resumes SoCon Play Thursday At Furman

MACON, Ga. – With the non-conference portion of its 2018-19 season behind them, the Mercer Bears resume Southern Conference play this week with a pair of difficult road games in the state of South Carolina. The Bears visit Furman in Greenville, S.C., Thursday Jan. 3 (start time is set for 7 p.m. ET at Timmons Arena) before taking on Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., Saturday Jan. 5 (start time is set for 7 p.m. at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium).

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (5-8, 0-1 SoCon) vs. Furman (12-2, 1-1 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Timmons Arena
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 100.9 The Creek FM and SportsMic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Mercer trails 10-14
• Current Streak: L5
• Last Meeting: L, 85-73 at Macon (2/1/18)

BEAR NECESSITIES

QUICK RECAP

As it has numerous times this season, Mercer battled back from a double digit deficit to position themselves for a big comeback victory only to come up short in losing 71-67 to Harvard in a neutral site game played Dec. 28 at Atlanta's State Farm Arena. Ross Cummings led all scorers with 21 points, while Djordje Dimitrijevic fueled a second half rally with 16 points coming off the bench.
Mercer snapped a four-game losing streak, erasing a six-point second half deficit to defeat UNC Wilmington 77-73 Dec. 21 at Hawkins Arena. Freshman Luke Hamilton, who had played a total of 25 minutes on the season, drained all three of his three point shots and nailed a decisive free throw down the stretch to score a career-high 10 points and lead the Bears to the victory. Ross Cummings scored a team-high 18 points while Jaylen Stowe continued his solid play with a 10-point showing.
Mercer rallied back from a 16-point second half deficit before falling 71-63 Dec. 18 at Florida. Jaylen Stowe recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Although four Bears scored in double figures, Mercer couldn't keep up with a hot-shooting Georgia Southern club, losing 89-74 Dec. 8 at Hawkins Arena. The loss was Mercer's first home defeat of the season and snapped an eight-game home winning streak. Jaylen Stowe tallied a career-high 18 points to pace the Mercer attack.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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 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 PALADINS
Furman has been one of the most impressive teams in the SoCon thus far this season. The Paladins bring a 12-2 overall mark and 1-1 conference slate into Thursday's matchup. Furman was ranked as high as #23 in the national polls earlier this season before dropping its last two games on the road at LSU and East Tennessee State. Furman is a perfect 7-0 at Timmons Arena this season … The Paladins are one of the league's most well-balanced squads. They rank #1 in steals (9.1) and blocked shots (4.3); #2 in assists (16.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4); tied for second in turnover margin (+3.29); and third in 3-pt. field goals made per game (10.3). Furman features three players scoring in double figures, led by junior guard Jordan Lyons (17.4), the league's sixth leading scorer. Senior forward Matt Rafferty is one of the SoCon's most versatile performers, averaging 16.7 points (7^th in the league) and 8.9 rebounds (2^nd in the league). His 65.3% field goal percentage is best in the SoCon and he also ranks third in the conference in both assists (4.4) and steals (2.2) … Sophomore forward Clay Mounce is scoring at an 11.4 clip, while sophomore guard Alex Hunter ranks #1 in the league in assist/turnover ratio (3.7) … Furman is riding a five-game winning streak vs. Mercer. The Bears' last win in the series came on Jan. 14, 2015 in the form of a 69-65 victory at Macon … Furman's head coach is Bob Richey, who is in his second season with the Paladins and has compiled a 35-12 record.

MERCER WINNINGEST PROGRAM IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA OVER THE PAST DECADE
Under Coach Bob Hoffman, Mercer has won 203 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 (192), followed by the University of Georgia (183). 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 Thursday's contest with 203 wins at Mercer. Coach Hoffman is 20 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

4th in FG% defense (.415)
5^th scoring defense (68.1)

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

Djordje Dimitrijevic – 4th in free throw percentage (.891)
Ethan Stair – 5^th in steals (1.7)
Ross Cummings – 6^th in 3-pt. FG made per game (3.2)
Marcus Cohen – 7th in assists (3.5)
Ross Cummings – 10th in scoring (14.8)
Ross Cummings – 8^th in FT% (.761)

BEAR TRACKS
Mercer was 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 … 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 … Stowe continued his hot play with a career-best 18-point scoring effort vs. Georgia Southern. He now ranks as the team's third leading scoring, averaging 11.2 points per outing. He's shooting 56.7% from the floor and averaging 5.5 boards per outing … Cohen played his best all-around game of the season against Georgia Southern, scoring a season-high 15 points and dealing out a season-best six assists. He turned in a nine-point, four-assist effort in the win over UNC Wilmington … Eight Bears are currently averaging 10 or more minutes of playing time per contest.

STOWE TEARING IT UP
Senior guard Jaylen Stowe has been playing the best basketball of his Mercer career over the past month. The 6-4 product of Harrisburg, N.C., had scored in double figures in five straight games until the streak was snapped against Harvard on 12/28. Over the past six games, Stowe is averaging 13.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. He recorded his first career double-double against Florida, tallying 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Stowe scored a career-best 18 points vs. Georgia Southern.

NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT
Mercer is one of the youngest clubs in the Southern Conference and that youth has come through numerous times this season. 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. Djordje helped rally the Bears from 17 points down in the second half against Harvard, coming off the bench to tally 16 points in just 19 minutes of action. The junior guard hit all five of his field goal attempts in that outing. Dimitrijevic is the Bears' second leading scorer (11.5) and second on the squad with 36 assists. Djordje has been extremely accurate at the free throw, connecting on 41-46 attempts (89.1%) which ranks fourth in the Southern Conference … For the second time this season, DJ Peavy paced the Bears' scoring attack with a game-high 15 points in the victory over UMES. Peavy is averaging 4.8 points per outing while connecting on 62.5% of his three point attempts (10-16) … Rookie post man Fardaws Aimaq pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds vs. UMES. Aimaq tallied a career-high 14 points vs. Georgia Southern on 7-14 shooting from the field to go along with his eight boards. Against Florida, Aimaq pulled down six rebounds and scored four points in 16 minutes of playing time. In the team's most recent outing vs. Harvard, Fardaws scored 11 points and grabbed six boards in 17 minutes of action. Aimaq is scoring 5.4 points and pulling down 5.3 rebounds 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 … Freshman forward Luke Hamilton had only played 25 minutes all season until Coach Bob Hoffman inserted him into the lineup at the 12:42 mark of the second half of the UNC Wilmington game. With the Bears trailing 50-44, "Cool Hand Luke" turned in a career-best performance, sinking all three of his three point attempts and nailing a critical free throw with 13 seconds remaining to help ice the Bears' 77-73 victory.

STAIR PLAYING HIS BEST BASKETBALL
Junior guard Ethan Stair has also turned in some solid performances this season. He turned in his first career double-double vs. The Citadel (11 points/14 rebounds) and is tied with Jaylen Stowe as the team's leading rebounder (5.5). His 9.2 scoring average ranks fourth best on the club. He's shooting 48.9% from the floor and 89.5% from the charity stripe. Stair tops the team with 22 steals (1.7 per game), which ranks fifth in the SoCon. 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. Ross connected on four from behind the arc in the game vs. Georgia Southern enroute to a 14-point performance. The "Mamba" drained four three-point baskets vs. Florida on his way to a team-high 18-point showing … Ross followed up that performance with a team-high 18 points in the win over UNC Wilmington, thanks to four three point baskets and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. Ross went for a game-high 21 points vs. Harvard, sinking six of 12 field goal attempts, including three from behind the arc. Cummings is the team's leading scorer (14.8) and is hitting 39.4% of his three point attempts (41-104).

WHAT'S NEXT
Mercer continues its SoCon Palmetto State road swing by visiting Wofford Saturday, Jan. 5 in Spartanburg. Starting time at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium is set for 7 p.m. (ET).

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.

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Players Mentioned

Fardaws Aimaq

Marcus Cohen

Ross Cummings

Djordje Dimitrijevic

Luke Hamilton

Cory Kilby

Daniel Love

DJ Peavy

Ethan Stair

Jaylen Stowe

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