Bears Hit Road for SoCon Clash with ETSU

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will hit the road to take on ETSU in a Southern Conference contest at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21 at J. Madison Brooks Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn.

The Bears (18-7, 10-0 SoCon) are aiming for their 31st consecutive SoCon regular season win and 11th this season. Wednesday's game will be streamed live on ESPN3.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 21 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (18-7, 10-0 SoCon) at ETSU (7-19, 5-5 SoCon)
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | J. Madison Brooks Stadium
Live Stats: ETSUBucs.com
TV: ESPN3
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB

SERIES HISTORY
Mercer clings to a 20-18 advantage against ETSU, having won seven unanswered showdowns with the Bucs. Mercer has lost nine of 17 head-to-head contests with ETSU in Johnson City, Tenn., but won by 20 points in its most recent visit on Jan. 25, 2018.

SCOUTING ETSU
ETSU is 7-19 overall and 5-5 in the conference. They have won all seven of their games at home, including all five conference wins. The Bucs average 67.1 points per game, third in the conference. ETSU is second in the SoCon in blocked shots (3.4) and steals (8.5).

PROTECT THE ROCK
One of Mercer's keys to success this season has been protecting the basketball. The Bears rank seventh nationally in turnovers per game, giving up the ball just 11.6 times on average. Mercer's assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.29, which leads the SoCon and ranks 18th nationally as well.

NOT SLOWING DOWN
Amanda Thompson has been the focal point of this year's Mercer women's basketball team, as she has tallied 14 double-double efforts so far through 26 games played. Thompson has been at her best in SoCon play this season, averaging 15.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. The North Carolina native is the league's leading rebounder, having tallied double-digit boards in 14 of her last 15 games. She grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in Saturday's win.

TIA FINDING HER ROLE
Freshman point guard Tia Benvenuti had a career night against the UNCG last Thursday, playing 27 minutes while dishing out nine assists to just one turnover. Benvenuti assisted on six of Linnea Rosendal's seven three-pointers, which proved to be critical piece of Mercer's rally to defeat UNCG. The freshman followed the performance with another 20-plus-minute night against Western Carolina on Feb. 16. Benvenuti has played 10 or more minutes in seven SoCon games so far this season, including four straight.

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

Tia Benvenuti

Linnea Rosendal

Amanda Thompson

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