Mercer Hosts ETSU in Weekend Battle

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Women's Basketball will play host to ETSU tomorrow at 2 p.m. inside Hawkins Arena for the second consecutive home game. The Bears are the only Southern Conference team that is undefeated in league play and are looking to extend their winning streak to five games.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-7, 4-0) vs. ETSU (4-16, 2-2)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Todd Wilson & Avery Braxton
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | ETSU
PROMO: First Responders/Military Appreciation & Houston County School Day

Elevating the Game
Shannon Titus rose the occasion on Thursday, guiding Mercer to a marquee win over conference rival, Chattanooga. The senior guard finished with a new career high in points (24), while also tying a career high in rebounds with nine. Titus finished 9-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 6-for6 from the charity stripe to lead all scorers with 24 points. This is the first time in Titus' career that she eclipsed 20 points. The Georgia native finished with 13 points in the first half and added 11 in the second, including a big and-one conversion to put the Bears up by a game-high 12 points.

Rebounding for the Win
Mercer pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds in the win over Chattanooga, outrebounding the Mocs 50-31. Amanda Thompson and Shannon Titus had a lot to do with the rebounding margin, grabbing a combined 25 boards. Thompson led the way with 16 rebounds, 10 on the defensive glass. Mercer finished the game with 17 offensive boards for 13 second-chance points. The Bears are 5-1 when outrebounding their opponents.

Home Sweet Home
With the win on Thursday, Mercer improved to 6-3 when playing inside Hawkins Arena this season. The Bears have won four of their last five games at home, including a pair of SoCon victories. Mercer has proven to be a tough opponent in Macon, Ga., holding a 53-15 record in the last five seasons. Under the direction of Coach Gardner, the Bears are 77-49 when playing inside Hawkins Arena. Mercer has won 14 consecutive SoCon home games, dating back to when the run began with a win over Furman on Jan. 19, 2017.

Last Time Out
The Bears pulled out a big win over Chattanooga on Thursday night, claiming the solo lead in the Southern Conference with a 4-0 record. Mercer started the game with a 19-15 lead in the first quarter and did not look back. Shannon Titus scored seven points in the opening quarter, while Amanda Thompson finished with six points and five boards in the first 10 minutes. The Bears stretched their lead to nine points following a fastbreak layup by Ally Welch, forcing a timeout for the Mocs. Despite allowing Chattanooga within three points, Mercer ended the quarter on a 7-3 run for the seven-point lead at the break. The two squads scored 29 points apiece in the second half as the Bears never relinquished the lead. The Mocs did pull within two points early in the fourth quarter, however the Bears responded with an 8-0 run to stretch their lead back to double digits. Mercer held Chattanooga at arm's length for the remainder of the game, securing the seven-point victory.

Titus led the way with 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Thompson finished with her 10th double-double of the season on 11 points and 16 rebounds. KeKe Calloway was a jack of all trades, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Series History
The Bears and Bucs have a storied series between the two programs with the Bears holding a brief 19-18 advantage in the all-time series. The rivalry continues to grow with the most recent showdown with Mercer upended ETSU in the 2018 SoCon Championship by the final score of 68- 53, punching the ticket as the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Mercer has now won six consecutive games in the series with the last loss coming in Macon, Ga. on Jan. 23, 2016 by the final score of 55-53. The series has featured a string of runs with ETSU claiming the longest winning streak in the series with seven games.

Battling the Bucs
ETSU is coming off a 21-point loss to Samford on Thursday, snapping a two-game winning streak over SoCon foes. The Bucs are 4-16 on the season and 2-2 in conference play.

The Bucs are led by reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year, Erica Haynes-Overton. The sophomore guard averages 15.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Haynes-Overton is also second in the NCAA in total steals with 79. ETSU averages 9.5 steals per game thanks to the numbers of Haynes-Overton.

The Bucs average 66.9 points per game, while yielding 75.9 to opponents. ETSU also leads the conference in turnovers forced per game with 19.0.

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.

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Players Mentioned

KeKe Calloway

Amanda Thompson

Shannon Titus

Ally Welch

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