Mercer Welcomes Georgia Southern to Hawkins on Saturday

Saturday, December 7

Macon, Ga.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

Georgia Southern

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Mercer Welcomes Georgia Southern to Hawkins on Saturday

12/6/2019 4:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Bears have won each of the last five meetings against Georgia Southern.

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team welcomes the Georgia Southern Eagles to Hawkins Arena for a weekend tilt at Hawkins Arena on Saturday.

The game will tip off at 2 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader. The men's basketball squad faces off against Georgia State at 4:30 p.m.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (2-6) vs. Georgia Southern (2-4)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Craig Lawson and Sybil Blalock
Radio: 100.9 "The Creek", Sports Mic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Georgia Southern
Promotion: N/A

Oh, Snap!
Mercer earned its first win against a Division I opponent with a 66-55 road victory against South Carolina State on Sunday. The win snapped the Bears' six-game losing skid, their longest winless drought since the 2011-12 season.

One Man's Trash…
The Bears have been opportunistic with their offense through the early portion of the 2019-20 campaign, averaging 20.8 points per game off turnovers. Mercer has reached double digits in points off turnovers in all eight games so far while eclipsing the 20-point mark four times.

A Familiar Foe
The Bears will square off against Georgia Southern for the 11th consecutive season on Saturday, going 6-4 over that stretch with five straight wins. Mercer has played both Georgia Southern and Stetson 67 times throughout its 49-year history with the meeting Saturday breaking the tie.

Trust the Titus Touch
Junior Shannon Titus has been one of the bright spots for the Bears through the early part of the 2019-20 campaign, leading the team in steals (23) and scoring (14.3 ppg) while tying with Jaron Dougherty for the rebounding lead (6.4 rpg). The Johns Creek, Ga., native recorded her first double-double of the season on Nov. 24 against Eastern Kentucky with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. She scored a career-high 32 points in the team's win against South Carolina State on Sunday.

Last Time Out
Mercer snapped its six-game losing skid with a 66-55 victory over South Carolina State on Sunday.

Shannon Titus continued her strong junior campaign with a career-high 32 points and 14 made field goals. The Johns Creek, Ga., native matched rookie Jill Harris for the team lead in rebounds iwth nine while dishing out five assists and generating three steals.

Harris added four assists, while Jordan McLaughlin dished out a game-high five assists.

As a team, the Bears outrebounded SCSU, 35-32, and shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the floor.

Series History
The Bears enter Saturday's matchup riding a five-game winning streak against Georgia Southern. Mercer owns a 37-30 advantage in the all-time series while boasting a 16-12 record at home.

Georgia Southern is currently tied with Stetson as Mercer's most common opponent with 67 games played against.

In the last meeting, Mercer came away with the 79-72 victory on Nov. 12, 2018. KeKe Calloway recorded game highs in points (32) and rebounds (8), while dishing out two assists and two steals. The Bears had four double-digit scorers as Rachel Selph (16 pts.), Linnea Rosendal (13 pts.) and Shannon Titus (12 pts.) joined Calloway in that category.

Scouting the Eagles
Georgia Southern has rebounded nicely from its 0-4 start to the season by picking up wins against Winthrop (91-47) and Wofford (70-57) in its last two games. The Eagles are currently 1-1 against SoCon teams this season, having lost to Furman on the road, 78-63, in the season opener on Nov. 10.

Alexis Brown and Tatum Barber are the two catalysts for the Eagles' offense with Brown averaging team highs in points per game (12.7) and rebounds per game (5.5). Barber adds a 12.3 scoring average and 5.3 boards per game. Amira Atwater leads the squad with 17 rebounds and 10 steals.

Brown garnered Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference second team honors after scoring 506 points last season, becoming the first player for Georgia Southern to reach that mark since Gwen Thomas in 1991-92. The Eagles were picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams by the conference in the preseason poll.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB(Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.