Mercer Visits Western Carolina Thursday

MACON, Ga. – Mercer travels to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on the Western Carolina Catamounts Thursday, Feb. 14. Start time at the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center is set for 7 p.m. (ET).

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (8-16, 3-9 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina (6-20, 3-10 SoCon)
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center
Live Stats: ESPN+
TV: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
Radio: 100.9 The Creek FM and SportsMic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB

SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Tied at 8-8
• Current Streak: W2
• Last Meeting: W, 84-80 at Macon (1/10/19)
Mercer guard Ross Cummings netted a career-high 36 points to lead the Bears past Western Carolina, 84-80, en route to their first Southern Conference win of the season at Hawkins Arena on Jan. 10. Cummings scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half and sparked a rally by the Bears, who trailed by five at halftime. Mercer opened the second half on a 17-point run, largely as a result of six Catamount turnovers before the first media timeout.

BEAR NECESSITIES
QUICK RECAP

Despite a career-high 19 point scoring effort from Ethan Stair, Mercer was unable to muster enough offense to overcome The Citadel, losing 67-61 Feb. 9 at Hawkins Arena. The Bears shot just 35.5% from the floor; 28% from three point range; and 44% from the free throw stripe in dropping their fourth consecutive contest. A highlight of the afternoon was the return and recognition of the record-setting 2013-14 team along with the jersey retirement of Langston Hall, who starred on that team and goes down as one of the most decorated players in Mercer history.
Mercer's offense was never able to get untracked, making just 35% of its field goals and 21% of its three point shots, as the Bears fell 74-63 Feb. 2 at home to Furman. Ross Cummings led the Bears with 16 points while Djordje Dimitrijevic and Ethan Stair pitched in with 10 points apiece.
Mercer went more than six minutes without scoring a field goal late in the second half against Wofford as the Bears fell to the league-leading Terriers 76-67 Jan. 31 at Macon. Cory Kilby led the offensive production for the Bears, scoring a team-high 16 points. Ethan Stair scored 14 before fouling out, while Djordje Dimitrijevic (12) and Ross Cummings (11) also went for double figures.
Mercer's two-game SoCon winning streak was snapped Jan. 26 as the Bears dropped an 88-81 decision at UNC Greensboro. Mercer was able to keep the game relatively close by knocking down 29 of 33 free throws. The 29 made free throws was the most by a Mercer team since the Bears hit 29 charity tosses vs. Allen on 11/13/15. Jaylen Stowe paced the Mercer offensive attack vs. UNCG with 16 points while Ross Cummings, Ethan Stair and Djordje Dimitrijevic each tallied 14.
The Bears won their second game in a row with an 88-68 home court SoCon triumph over VMI Jan. 24. Ross Cummings scored a game-high 24 points, while Ethan Stair equaled his career-high with 18 points and also had five steals, likewise tying a career best. Jaylen Stowe had 17 as the Bears shot a red-hot 56.1% from the floor and 52.6% from three point range (10-19).
Mercer snapped a two-game losing streak and claimed its first road victory of the season with a thrilling 93-87 conquest of Samford Jan. 19 at Birmingham. Ross Cummings continued his all-conference caliber of play, leading the Bears with 32 points. Senior Cory Kilby scored a career-high 17 points while Ethan Stair had 18 and Jaylen Stowe tallied 13.
The Bears had ample opportunities to come up with a road victory but weren't able to make the plays when they had to, as they fell 73-70 Jan. 17 at Chattanooga. Ross Cummings led all scorers with 22 points, while Jaylen Stowe contributed 16. Leading 70-69 with 2:42 remaining, Mercer was held scoreless the remainder of the contest.
Mercer fought gallantly before dropping a close 72-68 overtime decision to East Tennessee State Jan. 12 at Macon. In a game that featured eight ties and six lead changes, the Bears were outrebounded 50-23 and outscored 40-28 in the paint. Ross Cummings led the Mercer scoring attack with 22 points. Ethan Stair (13), Djordje Dimitrijevic (12) and Jaylen Stowe (12) also scored in double figures for the Bears.
Mercer snapped a three-game losing streak to claim its first SoCon victory of the season with a thrilling 84-80 decision over Western Carolina Jan. 10 at Macon. Fueled by a 17-0 run to open the second half, the Bears quickly erased a five-point halftime deficit to get out in front of the pesky Catamounts. Ross Cummings scored a career-high 36 points, draining 12 of 19 shots, including seven behind the arc, to lead the Bears to the win.
The Mercer Bears once again displayed a great deal of grit and determination before falling 78-74 at Wofford Jan. 5 in Spartanburg. Trailing most of the second half, at one time by as many as 11 points, the Bears rallied to take the lead with just over three minutes to play. Key shots wouldn't fall down the stretch; however, as Wofford hung on for a hard-fought SoCon victory. Ross Cummings and Djordje Dimitrijevic paced the scoring attack with 21 points apiece, while Ethan Stair tallied a career-best 16 points.
Mercer wasn't able to overcome a second half scoring drought as the Bears dropped a 71-58 Southern Conference decision Jan. 3 on the road to the Furman Paladins. Mercer went nearly nine minutes in the second half without a field goal as Furman built a double digit lead and held off Mercer down the stretch. Ethan Stair and Djordje Dimitrijevic led the Bears with 15 points apiece.
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 CATAMOUNTS
Western Carolina brings an overall record of 6-20 into Thursday's contest. The Catamounts are 3-10 in SoCon play. Two of those conference wins came on the road – against The Citadel (94-82) and Chattanooga (105-96) … WCU shoots the three and defends the three as well as anyone in the conference. The Catamounts are hitting 37% of their three point attempts (4^th in the league) and holding their opponents to just 33.1% of their three point attempts (2^nd in the conference). WCU ranks third in the league in rebound margin (+3.7) … Carlos Dotson is one of the league's most effective inside players. Dotson is averaging 9.6 rebounds (2^nd in the SoCon) and hitting 58.3% from the field (4^th in the league). Dotson is the team's second leading scorer (13.3) … Kameron Gibson leads WCU in scoring with a 13.5 average … Matt Halvorsen ranks third in the league in free throw shooting (.867) … Head Coach Mark Prosser is in his first season with the Catamounts and is 6-20 overall.

MERCER WINNINGEST PROGRAM IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA OVER THE PAST DECADE
Under Coach Bob Hoffman, Mercer has won 206 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 (199), followed by the University of Georgia (185). 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 206 wins at Mercer. Coach Hoffman is 17 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 205 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

#4 FT% (.701)
#5 scoring defense (71.6)
#4 turnover margin (+1.88)

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

Ross Cummings – #6 scoring (16.9)
Ross Cummings - #5 FT% (.832)
Ross Cummings - #5 3 pt. FG made (3.2)
Ethan Stair - #4 steals (1.8)
Marcus Cohen - #5 assists (3.6)
Djordje Dimitrijevic - #6 FT% (.800)

CUMMINGS THIRD LEADING SCORER IN SOUTHERN CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY
Mercer junior guard Ross Cummings ranks third in scoring (19.7) in conference games only. He ranks second in 3 pt. FG made (3.5), 3 pt. FG% (.452), and minutes played (36.4). The 6-3 product of Dickson, Tenn., ranks third in free throw percentage (.875) in conference action … Cummings earned a pair of Southern Conference Player of the Week honors for his performance during games played Jan. 7-14. Cummings averaged 29 points per outing over a two-game stretch last week. He scored a career-high 36 points to lead the Bears to an 84-80 victory over Western Carolina on Jan. 10, and followed that up with a 22-point effort in Mercer's 72-68 overtime loss to East Tennessee State on Jan. 12. In those two games, Cummings connected on 54.5% of his field goal attempts (18-33), 50% of his three point shots (11-22), and 84.6% from the free throw line (11-13). Cummings also was named the SoCon Player of the Week by College Sports Madness. College Sports Madness covers all aspects of college sports, from recruiting through the professional draft. Every week, College Sports Madness identifies the players who have had the greatest impact on their team from each conference and on a national basis each Monday. Cummings was recognized as one of the organization's Mid-Major Conference Players of the Week.

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. Stowe continued his hot play with a career-best 18-point scoring effort vs. Georgia Southern. He also tallied 16 at Chattanooga and had 17 in the home court victory vs. VMI. Jaylen went for 16 points on the road against UNCG. He's the team's fourth leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points per outing. He's shooting 51.4% from the floor and averaging 4.9 boards per outing … 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. Kilby turned in a solid seven-point, six-rebound performance at Furman on Jan. 3. In the win at Samford, Kilby posted a career-high 17 points, hitting five of seven shots from the field, including a pair of clutch three point baskets. Cory had a good showing in the Jan. 31 loss to Wofford, scoring a team-high 16 points vs. the Terriers … 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 and dished out four assists while scoring six points in the home floor win over Western Carolina. Marcus handed out a game-high seven assists while scoring seven points in the Jan. 24 victory over VMI.

STOWE – MERCER'S MR. VERSATILE
Senior guard Jaylen Stowe has been playing the best basketball of his Mercer career this season. 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. 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. He is Mercer's third leading rebounder with 4.9 boards per game, fourth leading scorer (10.9), and ranks second on the club in steals with 26. He tied his career-best with four steals vs. Western Carolina (1/10/19) while scoring 12 points and grabbing a team-high seven boards in that victory. Stowe followed that up with another 12-point, seven-rebound effort vs. ETSU. He was Mercer's second leading scorer with 16 points in the tough loss at Chattanooga. Stowe continued his warrior-like mentality with a 13-point, two-rebound, two-assist and one steal performance in the win at Samford, went for 17 points in the Jan. 24 victory over VMI and scored 16 in the road loss at UNCG. Jaylen scored seven points, pulled down seven rebounds and had two steals in the Feb. 9 home loss to The Citadel.

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. Against Wofford on the road, Dimitrijevic played exceptional basketball, tying Cummings for game-high scoring honors with 21 points. Dimitrijevic is the Bears' third leading scorer (11.1) and second on the squad with 54 assists. Djordje has been extremely accurate at the free throw line, connecting on 80% of his attempts … Rookie post man Fardaws Aimaq pulled down 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 neutral site game against Harvard, Fardaws scored 11 points and grabbed six boards in 17 minutes of action. In a recent outing vs. Western Carolina, Aimaq tallied eight crucial points to contribute to the win over the Catamounts. The 6-11 Canadian grabbed six rebounds and blocked four shots in the victory at Samford and had seven boards in the Jan. 24 win over VMI. In just 15 minutes of action on the road vs. UNCG, Fardaws scored 11 points and pulled down eight boards. In the Jan. 31 game against Wofford, Aimaq grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds and scored seven points. Aimaq is scoring 5.5 points and is Mercer's leading rebounder with 5.5 boards per contest. He also tops the club with 19 blocks … 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. Love came off the bench and played 10 minutes in the game at Chattanooga, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds. In the home loss to The Citadel, Love provided a spark with four points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist … 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 (10 points/4 rebounds), 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. In 10 minutes of action, Hamilton scored four points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot in the Jan. 24 win over VMI.

ETHAN STAIR – MR. RELIABLE
Junior guard Ethan Stair has also turned in some solid performances this season and has become Mercer's "Mr. Reliable." He turned in his first career double-double vs. The Citadel (11 points/14 rebounds). Stair scored all 13 of his points in the second half vs. Florida Atlantic, nearly leading the Bears to a comeback road win. Stair equaled his career-high in scoring with a 15-point effort Jan. 3 at Furman, before establishing a career-best in scoring with a 16-point effort against Wofford on Jan. 5. Stair broke that career-scoring best with 18 points in the victory at Samford and tied his all-time best the next outing with an 18-point showing in the win over VMI. He also tied his career high with five steals vs. the Keydets and pulled down seven rebounds. The 6-4 product of Hazel Green, Ala., established a new career scoring best with a 19-point effort in the Feb. 9 home loss against The Citadel. His 11.5 scoring average ranks second best on the club and he is the team's second leading rebounder (5.2). He's shooting 50.5% from the floor, 40% from three point range, and 77.4% from the charity stripe. Stair tops the team with 44 steals (1.8 per game), which is fourth best in the SoCon. Coach Bob Hoffman believes Stair is one of the best rebounding guards in the country and he has certainly fit that role 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. He and Dimitrijevic tied for scoring honors with 21 points apiece in the loss at Wofford. "The Mamba" was certainly on fire in the Jan. 10 win over Western Carolina, as he poured in a career-high 36 points, while connecting on 12 of 19 field goals, including 7-11 from behind the three point line. That is the highest single-game point total by a Bear since Jakob Gollon tallied 37 against Valparaiso on Nov. 29, 2013. Cummings followed up that stellar performance with a 22-point effort in the close overtime loss to ETSU … "The Mamba" continued his high-scoring ways with a 22-point showing in the close loss at Chattanooga. In that game he connected on 8-14 field goals, including 5-6 from behind the arc, and dished out a game-high five assists … Cummings turned in a remarkable performance to help lead the Bears to the road win at Samford. He tallied a game-high 32 points (8-17 from the field/4-9 from three point range) and was a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line. He made perhaps the biggest sequence of plays for the Bears this season in that contest, hitting a pair of flagrant 2 foul free throws with 1:59 remaining and then following it up with a long range three point basket from deep in the corner, to make it a five-point possession for the Bears. This all came after he had taken a hard fall to the court and had to have his forehead bandaged up by Mercer trainer Jason Robey … Cummings scored a game-high 24 points in the Jan. 24 victory over VMI, connecting on 7-13 from the field, including 6-9 from beyond the arc. He was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line enroute to a 14-point showing against UNCG on 1/26 … Ross continues to make the case that he is one of the best outside shooters, not only in the SoCon, but in all of college basketball. Cummings had his streak of 14 consecutive double figure scoring games snapped in the Feb. 9 loss against The Citadel when he was held to six points.

WHAT'S NEXT
Mercer continues its two-game SoCon road trip by visiting East Tennessee State Saturday, Feb. 16. Start time is set for 4 p.m. (ET) at Freedom Hall in Johnson City.

How to Follow the Bears:
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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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