Men’s Basketball Hosts Kennesaw State Monday

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball team returns to action on Monday, Nov. 11 when they host former ASUN rival Kennesaw State. Tipoff for the Bears and Owls is set for 7 p.m. from Hawkins Arena.

GAME DAY LINEUP
Date: November 11, 2019 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (1-1) vs. Kennesaw State (0-2)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
Radio: 100.9 The Creek FM and SportsMic – Rick Cameron
TV: ESPN+ – Frank Malloy and Dean Keener
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Mercer leads 16-6 in the series
• Current Streak: W7
• Last Meeting: W, 89-56 (12/28/2017)

OPENING TIPOFF
Mercer Men's Basketball faces Kennesaw State for the first time since Dec. 28, 2017, on Monday at Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. for the former ASUN rivals. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Frank Malloy and Dean Keener on the call. It will also be on the 100.9 The Creek FM and Sportsmic Radio with Rick Cameron on the call.

ABOUT THE OWLS
Kennesaw State enters the matchup on Monday with a 0-2 overall record… The Owls dropped its last game, 86-55, to Drake on Thursday, Nov. 7…. Kennesaw State is a member of the ASUN and was picked to finish eighth in the league… This will be the 42^nd season of basketball for Kennesaw State this season… They are under the direction of first year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was an assistant at Georgia the previous season… Tyler Hooker returns this season for the Owls. Hooker averaged 19 points and three assists last season… Hooker's efforts last season earned him All-Conference Second Team honors… This season, the Owls are averaging 55.0 points per game and are allowing 83.5… Kennesaw State is shooting 36 percent from the floor and 19 percent on three-pointers this season… Hooker leads the team averaging 11.0 points per game and he is the only double-figure scorer for the Owls… Kennesaw State is averaging 15.5 turnovers per game during the 2019-20 season.

LAUREN TALLEY TO SING ANTHEM
Lauren Talley is one of Christian music's dynamic talents will be singing the national anthem at the Mercer men's basketball game on Monday, Nov. 11. Born into a rich musical heritage, Lauren sang her first solo at age 2 when she toddled onto the stage, interrupted her family's concert and announced she wanted to "thing." Lauren went on to make her own mark on the gospel music world as a member of her family group, The Talleys, with whom she received numerous awards, including a 2015 Dove Award for their song, "Hidden Heroes." Lauren's lead vocals shine on eleven number one hits for the group. She has recorded seven solo albums, including 2019's unprecedented release of two albums simultaneously, "Glorious God: Songs of Worship and Wonder," and "Loudest Praise: Hymns Of Mercy, Love and Grace." She is frequently recognized for her appearances on numerous Gaither Homecoming videos and concerts, RFD-TV's "The Music City Show" and "In Touch" with Dr. Charles Stanley. In 2014 she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Worship Arts from John Wesley University.

LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Bears took to the hardwood was Friday, Nov. 8 when they took on Columbia International in their home opener. The Bears came away with an 84-76 victory over the Rams. In the win for the Bears, Djordje Dimitrijevic scored 24 points, one point off his career-high. Ethan Stair picked up his second double-double of the season as he scored 17 points and collected a team-high 12 rebounds. The Bears outrebounded the Rams 40-26 in the contest. The Bears shot 61 percent in the second half to earn the victory. For the contest, they shot 49 percent from the floor. Mercer struggled shooting the three-pointer, as they were 5-for-16 for the game.

DOUBLING HIS DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Over the first three seasons of his collegiate career, Ethan Stair tallied two double-doubles. His first double-double came on Dec. 1, 2018, at The Citadel during his junior season. He followed that double-double with one in Feb. that season as well. Fast forward to his senior year, Stair doubled his career double-double total during the first two games of the season. He has collected a double-double in each of the Bears two games to open the season. His senior season is the first time in his career he has recorded double-doubles in back-to-back games. Below are the dates and Stair's stats for his double-doubles

Double-Doubles
1 – Dec. 1, 2018 (11 points, 14 rebounds) at The Citadel
2 – Feb. 21, 2019 (15 points, 12 rebounds) vs. Samford
3 – Nov. 6, 2019 (23 points, 10 rebounds) at St. John's
4 – Nov. 8, 2019 (17 points, 12 rebounds) vs. Columbia International

WINNING AT HAWKINS
The Bears improved to 1-0 on the season playing in its home arena, Hawkins Arena. Since the 2014-15 season, the Bears have won 68 percent of its games at Hawkins Arena. During that stretch, the Bears have won 51 of the 74 games played. They won 12 games at home during the 2014-15 season. During the 2019-20 season, the Bears play at Hawkins Arena 14 times. Below are the records for the Bears when playing at Hawkins Arena

Year                       W           L
2014-15                12           4
2015-16                11           3
2016-17                8              7
2017-18                11           3
2018-19                9              6

RENEWING ASUN RIVALRIES
For the first time since, Dec. 28, 2017, the Mercer Bears will face its old ASUN rivals in Kennesaw State and Florida Gulf Coast. The Bears were members of the ASUN from 1978 to 2014 when they joined the Southern Conference. Kennesaw State (2005-Present) and FGCU (2007-Present) are still current members of the ASUN. Since the Bears left the ASUN for the SoCon, Mercer has played Kennesaw State four times entering this season and has not played FGCU. The last time Mercer and FGCU met on the hardwood was March 9, 2014, in the ASUN Tournament Championship game.

SENIORS LEADING THE BEARS
To open the season, the Bears are led by its senior class. Ethan Stair is averaging 20.0 points per game over the first two contests, while Djordje Dimitrijevic is following with 17.0 points per game. Stair ranks second in the SoCon in scoring, while Dimitrijevic ranks third. Over their careers at Mercer, Stair is averaging 9.3 points per game, while Dimitrijevic is averaging 10.1 points per game. Besides scoring the Stair ranks second in the SoCon in rebounding averaging 11.0 rebounds per game. Stair is one of two players in the SoCon averaging a double-double.

BOCA RATON BEACH CLASSIC
The Mercer men's basketball team will be playing in the inaugural Boca Raton Beach Classic presented by Sport Changes Life. The event will be held in conjunction with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Games will be played on Sunday, Dec. 1 and Monday, Dec. 2 at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena, on the campus of FAU. The eight-team classic will be split into two separate four-team brackets. In addition to the contest on Dec. 1 and 2, the Bears will travel to Illinois-Chicago (Nov. 23) and St. Bonaventure (Nov. 26), respectfully, as part of the tournament.

SENIOR DUO LOOKING TO JOIN 1,000-POINT CLUB
Both Ross Cummings and Ethan Stair are closing into on becoming the Bears 41st and 42nd 1,000-career scores in Mercer History. Entering the season, Ross Cummings has scored 803 career points, while Ethan Stair has scored 744 points. Sitting in 40th on the 1,000 point club for Mercer is Dartez Talbott who scored 1,014 points in his career at Mercer, which stretched from the 1979-81 seasons. James Florence, who played for the Bears from 2006-10, is the all-time leading scorer as he scored 2,286 points. Florence is the only 2,000 point scorers in Mercer history. The list of players that Cummings and Stair are looking to catch is below.

1,000 Point Scorers (No. 36-40)
                Rk.         Name                    Pts
                36           Will Emerson     1,050
                T37         Jim Hearn            1,034
                T37         Reggie Elliott      1,034
                38           Rodney Kirtz       1,025
                39           Donnie Veal        1,023
                40           Dartez Talbott   1,014

3-POINT FIELD GOALS
Not only is Ross Cummings closing in at 1,000 points but also he is closing in on becoming the all-time leading three-point field goals leader. In his three years at Mercer, Cummings has hit 162 three-pointers, which ranks fourth all-time. He is 94 threes away from tying the career record holder of Langston Hall, who hit 256 threes. Below are the top five career three-point shooters to wear a Mercer uniform. With his 162 made three-pointers in his career, Cummings is the third active leader in the SoCon.

3-Point Field Goals Made (Career)
                Name                   3-FGM Years
1.            Langston Hall      256         2010-14
2.            James Florence 242         2006-10
3.            E.J. Kusnyer        190         2008-10
4.            Ross Cummings 162         2016-Present
5.            Bud Thomas       161         2010-14

GREG GARY COACH'S SHOW
With the 2019-20 season underway, so is the Greg Gary Coach's Show. The 11 edition show will be streamed on Sportsmic Radio and the Mercer Men's Basketball Facebook page. The show is aired from Margaritas in Mercer Village from 6 to 7 p.m. The first show can be restreamed on the Mercer Men's Basketball Facebook page. The next Coach's Show will take part on Monday, Dec. 9.

PRESEASON All-SoCON TEAM
Mercer guard Ross Cummings, a 6-3 senior from Dickson, Tenn., has been selected to the preseason All-SoCon Team. Cummings started all 31 games a year ago and averaged 17.4 points per game. He hit 101 three-pointers last year, which was the second-most made in a single season in school history. Over his first three years of his career, Cummings has made 162 three-pointers, ranking him fourth all-time at Mercer. On three different occasions, Cummings set new career-highs for scoring. On Nov. 27, 2018, against Brewton-Parker, he scored 31 points. The career-high points changed 36 on Jan. 10 against Western Carolina. A month and a half later, he scored 37 points, setting another career-high against Chattanooga. His 37-point contest came at Hawkins Arena. This second-highest total scored by a Mercer player at Hawkins Arena. James Florence scored 39 points, a Mercer single-game high, on Feb. 16, 2007.

SoCON CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2020 Ingles SoCon Men's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale will be held March 6-9 at Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. The 2020 edition of the tournament is the 100th for the nation's oldest collegiate conference basketball tournament.

UP NEXT
Following the contest with Kennesaw State, Mercer continues to renew old rivalries as they host Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, Nov. 15. Mercer and FGCU were both members of the ASUN. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from Hawkins Arena.

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.

Men’s Basketball Hosts Kennesaw State Monday

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Players Mentioned

Ross Cummings

Djordje Dimitrijevic

Ethan Stair

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