Sunday, December 22
Macon, Ga.
6 p.m.
Mercer University
vs
Florida Atlantic
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Men’s Basketball Hosts FAU Sunday
12/21/2019 3:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
For the first time since 2006 Florida Atlanta makes a trip to Macon, Ga.
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball team returns to the hardwood on Sunday, Dec. 22 when they host Florida Atlanta. This will be the Owls first trip to Hawkins Arena since Feb. 7, 2006.
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GAME DAY LINEUP
Date:Â December 22, 2019 | 6 Â p.m. (ET)
Teams:Â Florida Atlantic (7-4) at Mercer (5-7)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats:Â MercerBears.com/LiveStats
Radio: 100.9 The Creek FM and SportsMic – Rick Cameron
TV: ESPN+
Twitter Updates:Â @MercerMBB
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SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Mercer trails the all-time series, 11-10
• Current Streak: L1
• Last Meeting: L, 64-68 (Dec. 5, 2018)
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OPENING TIPOFF
Mercer Men's Basketball welcomes Florida Atlantic University to Hawkins Arena for the first time since Feb. 7, 2006. This will be the second of three games of the Bears home stand. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+ and 100.9 The Creek FM and Sportsmic Radio with Rick Cameron on the call.
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ABOUT THE OWLS
Florida Atlantic enters the game against the Bears with a 7-4 overall record… The Owls have won three straight games including an 84-35 victory over Tampa on Dec. 19, which was their last game… The Owls last loss came on Dec. 2 when they lost in the Boca Raton Beach Classic to St. Bonaventure, 71-64… This season, the Owls are averaging 74.0 points per game and are led in scoring by Cornelius Taylor, who is averaging 11.4 points per game… Besides Taylor, the Owls have one player, Michael Forrest scoring in double figures averaging 10.3 points per game…. As a team, FAU is shooting 43.6 percent from the field… They are allowing 68.4 points per game and opponents are shooting 44.2 percent from the floor… The Owls are shooting 36.3 percent on three-pointers and Taylor and Forrest lead the team on threes as they have hit 22 three-pointers apiece… Florida Atlantic is led by second-year head coach Dusty May… The Owls were picked to finish ninth in Conference USA.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Bears took to the court was Friday night in its Southern Conference opener. The Bears fell to Furman, 64-62, at Hawkins Arena. Maciej Bender led the way for the Bears with a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. With the Bears down three, Jeff Gary hit a three-pointer tied the game with a minute to go in the game. Jordan Lyons came and hit a layup putting Furman ahead 64-62. The Bears had a great look to tie the game but the ball rimmed out. Mercer would fall to Furman 64-62.
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STAIR SWEEPS SOCON AWARDS
The Bears Ethan Stair has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Week and Student Athlete of the Week. In Mercer's lone game of the week, Stair scored 16 points and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds in a 72-63 win at UNCW on Monday evening. The redshirt senior from Hazel Green, Alabama, was 6-for-13 from the floor and chipped in with four assists against just one turnover. Stair's double-double was his SoCon-best sixth of the season, while his rebound total was the most for the Bears since January 2016.Stair has reached double-digit rebounds in six of Mercer's 11 games so far and has scored at least 15 points in all but two.
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ELEVEN STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A THREE
Nine SoCon student-athletes have streaks of at least 10 games with a made three-pointer. The Bears Djordje Dimitrijevic has made a three-pointer in 11 straight games, which is the seventh-longest streak in the SoCon. The SoCon leader for consecutive games a three-pointer is Tray Boyd III of ETSU. He is currently at 19 straight games. Â
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Player (School)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Streak
Tray Boyd III (ETSU)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19
Brandon Austin (Samford)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 15
Clay Mounce (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 13
Kamdyn Curfman (VMI)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12
Kyrin Galloway (UNCG)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12
Alex Hunter (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12
Djordje Dimitrijevic (Mercer)Â Â Â Â 11
Fletcher Abee (Citadel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11
Kaiden Rice (Citadel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10
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SoCON PLAYER POINT HIGHS
For the second time this season, Ethan Stair set a career-high in points as he scored 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting at Georgia Southern. The 28 points are the fifth most in a game by a Southern Conference player this season. Below are the top five scoring games in the SoCon.
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Player (School)                                Points  Date (Opponent)
Jordan Lyons (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 33Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/19/19 (at Alabama)
Mason Faulkner (WCU)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 31Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/03/19 (Chattanooga)
Kaiden Rice (Citadel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/04/19 (ETSU)
Noah Gurley (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 29Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/08/19 (USC Upstate)
Ethan Stair (Mercer)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/19/19 (at Georgia Southern)
Brandon Austin (Samford)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/13/19 (UVa.-Wise)
Mason Faulkner (WCU)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/21/19 (Jacksonville)
Isaiah Bigelow (Wofford)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/13/19 (North Greenville)
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FAU AND MERCER HISTORY
Last season the Owls and Bears squared off on Dec. 5, 2018. This was the first matchup for the former ASUN schools since Feb. 7, 2006. Last season, the Bears traveled to Boca Raton, Fla. Sunday will be the first time since the 2005-06 season, the Owls of Florida Atlantic have made the trip to Macon, Ga. In the last game between these two schools in Macon, the Bears came away with a 74-73 victory on Feb. 7, 2006.
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BIG NIGHT FOR BENDER
Redshirt junior Maciej Bender had a big night in his first Southern Conference contest. Bender scored a career-high 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Besides scoring, Bender led the team with 10 rebounds, one-off his career-high. This was his second career double-double. Not only did he score and rebound, but Bender also made an impact on the defensive end of the court as he recorded a career-high four blocks. The 10 rebound game was his second time this season with 10 or more rebounds.
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GARY HELPS THE BEARS
Jeff Gary made his first appearance as a Bear on Dec. 16 at UNC Wilmington. In his first game, he played 36 minutes and a few days later, he earned his first start for the Bears. Against Furman, Gary played a season-high 37 minutes He has shot 33.3 percent on three-pointers this season. Against Furman, he hit a team-high three-pointers. He is averaging 11.5 points for the Bears.
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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. Which player will be the first to score 1,000 points? Cummings has scored 853 points in his career that spans 78 games, while Stair has scored 916 points in 96 games. 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.
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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
                               Ethan Stair         916
                               Ross Cummings 853
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HITTING THREES
Ross Cummings is closing in on the 1,000-point club but he is also climbing up the Mercer record books for made three-point field goals. During his junior season, Cummings hit 101 three-pointers, becoming only the second Mercer Bear to make 100 or more threes in a season. Prior to his junior year, the most threes Cumming hit in a season was 57. For his career, he has hit 169 career three-pointers. He is 18 three-pointers away from tying for third all-time at Mercer. Below are the top five all-time leaders for Mercer for three-point field goals made. With his 172 made three-pointers, he is number three on the SoCon active career leader list.
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 172        2016-Present
5.           Bud Thomas      161        2010-14
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GREG GARY COACH'S SHOW
The Greg Gary Coach's Show is underway from Margaritas in Mercer Village. 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. Starting Jan. 6th, the third Coach's Show of the year will run weekly. Â
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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.
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UP NEXT
The Bears close out its three-game home stand on Saturday, Dec. 28 when they host Milligan. The contest is set to tip at 1 p.m. from Hawkins Arena.
Â
How to Follow the Bears:Â
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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GAME DAY LINEUP
Date:Â December 22, 2019 | 6 Â p.m. (ET)
Teams:Â Florida Atlantic (7-4) at Mercer (5-7)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats:Â MercerBears.com/LiveStats
Radio: 100.9 The Creek FM and SportsMic – Rick Cameron
TV: ESPN+
Twitter Updates:Â @MercerMBB
Â
SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Mercer trails the all-time series, 11-10
• Current Streak: L1
• Last Meeting: L, 64-68 (Dec. 5, 2018)
Â
OPENING TIPOFF
Mercer Men's Basketball welcomes Florida Atlantic University to Hawkins Arena for the first time since Feb. 7, 2006. This will be the second of three games of the Bears home stand. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+ and 100.9 The Creek FM and Sportsmic Radio with Rick Cameron on the call.
Â
ABOUT THE OWLS
Florida Atlantic enters the game against the Bears with a 7-4 overall record… The Owls have won three straight games including an 84-35 victory over Tampa on Dec. 19, which was their last game… The Owls last loss came on Dec. 2 when they lost in the Boca Raton Beach Classic to St. Bonaventure, 71-64… This season, the Owls are averaging 74.0 points per game and are led in scoring by Cornelius Taylor, who is averaging 11.4 points per game… Besides Taylor, the Owls have one player, Michael Forrest scoring in double figures averaging 10.3 points per game…. As a team, FAU is shooting 43.6 percent from the field… They are allowing 68.4 points per game and opponents are shooting 44.2 percent from the floor… The Owls are shooting 36.3 percent on three-pointers and Taylor and Forrest lead the team on threes as they have hit 22 three-pointers apiece… Florida Atlantic is led by second-year head coach Dusty May… The Owls were picked to finish ninth in Conference USA.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Bears took to the court was Friday night in its Southern Conference opener. The Bears fell to Furman, 64-62, at Hawkins Arena. Maciej Bender led the way for the Bears with a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. With the Bears down three, Jeff Gary hit a three-pointer tied the game with a minute to go in the game. Jordan Lyons came and hit a layup putting Furman ahead 64-62. The Bears had a great look to tie the game but the ball rimmed out. Mercer would fall to Furman 64-62.
Â
STAIR SWEEPS SOCON AWARDS
The Bears Ethan Stair has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Week and Student Athlete of the Week. In Mercer's lone game of the week, Stair scored 16 points and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds in a 72-63 win at UNCW on Monday evening. The redshirt senior from Hazel Green, Alabama, was 6-for-13 from the floor and chipped in with four assists against just one turnover. Stair's double-double was his SoCon-best sixth of the season, while his rebound total was the most for the Bears since January 2016.Stair has reached double-digit rebounds in six of Mercer's 11 games so far and has scored at least 15 points in all but two.
Â
ELEVEN STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A THREE
Nine SoCon student-athletes have streaks of at least 10 games with a made three-pointer. The Bears Djordje Dimitrijevic has made a three-pointer in 11 straight games, which is the seventh-longest streak in the SoCon. The SoCon leader for consecutive games a three-pointer is Tray Boyd III of ETSU. He is currently at 19 straight games. Â
              Â
Player (School)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Streak
Tray Boyd III (ETSU)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19
Brandon Austin (Samford)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 15
Clay Mounce (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 13
Kamdyn Curfman (VMI)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12
Kyrin Galloway (UNCG)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12
Alex Hunter (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12
Djordje Dimitrijevic (Mercer)Â Â Â Â 11
Fletcher Abee (Citadel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11
Kaiden Rice (Citadel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10
Â
SoCON PLAYER POINT HIGHS
For the second time this season, Ethan Stair set a career-high in points as he scored 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting at Georgia Southern. The 28 points are the fifth most in a game by a Southern Conference player this season. Below are the top five scoring games in the SoCon.
Â
Player (School)                                Points  Date (Opponent)
Jordan Lyons (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 33Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/19/19 (at Alabama)
Mason Faulkner (WCU)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 31Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/03/19 (Chattanooga)
Kaiden Rice (Citadel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/04/19 (ETSU)
Noah Gurley (Furman)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 29Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/08/19 (USC Upstate)
Ethan Stair (Mercer)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/19/19 (at Georgia Southern)
Brandon Austin (Samford)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/13/19 (UVa.-Wise)
Mason Faulkner (WCU)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11/21/19 (Jacksonville)
Isaiah Bigelow (Wofford)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12/13/19 (North Greenville)
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FAU AND MERCER HISTORY
Last season the Owls and Bears squared off on Dec. 5, 2018. This was the first matchup for the former ASUN schools since Feb. 7, 2006. Last season, the Bears traveled to Boca Raton, Fla. Sunday will be the first time since the 2005-06 season, the Owls of Florida Atlantic have made the trip to Macon, Ga. In the last game between these two schools in Macon, the Bears came away with a 74-73 victory on Feb. 7, 2006.
Â
BIG NIGHT FOR BENDER
Redshirt junior Maciej Bender had a big night in his first Southern Conference contest. Bender scored a career-high 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Besides scoring, Bender led the team with 10 rebounds, one-off his career-high. This was his second career double-double. Not only did he score and rebound, but Bender also made an impact on the defensive end of the court as he recorded a career-high four blocks. The 10 rebound game was his second time this season with 10 or more rebounds.
Â
GARY HELPS THE BEARS
Jeff Gary made his first appearance as a Bear on Dec. 16 at UNC Wilmington. In his first game, he played 36 minutes and a few days later, he earned his first start for the Bears. Against Furman, Gary played a season-high 37 minutes He has shot 33.3 percent on three-pointers this season. Against Furman, he hit a team-high three-pointers. He is averaging 11.5 points for the Bears.
Â
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. Which player will be the first to score 1,000 points? Cummings has scored 853 points in his career that spans 78 games, while Stair has scored 916 points in 96 games. 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.
Â
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
                               Ethan Stair         916
                               Ross Cummings 853
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HITTING THREES
Ross Cummings is closing in on the 1,000-point club but he is also climbing up the Mercer record books for made three-point field goals. During his junior season, Cummings hit 101 three-pointers, becoming only the second Mercer Bear to make 100 or more threes in a season. Prior to his junior year, the most threes Cumming hit in a season was 57. For his career, he has hit 169 career three-pointers. He is 18 three-pointers away from tying for third all-time at Mercer. Below are the top five all-time leaders for Mercer for three-point field goals made. With his 172 made three-pointers, he is number three on the SoCon active career leader list.
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 172        2016-Present
5.           Bud Thomas      161        2010-14
Â
GREG GARY COACH'S SHOW
The Greg Gary Coach's Show is underway from Margaritas in Mercer Village. 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. Starting Jan. 6th, the third Coach's Show of the year will run weekly. Â
Â
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.
Â
UP NEXT
The Bears close out its three-game home stand on Saturday, Dec. 28 when they host Milligan. The contest is set to tip at 1 p.m. from Hawkins Arena.
Â
How to Follow the Bears:Â
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
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