Bears Set to Open SoCon Play on the Road

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team begins its quest for a fifth consecutive Southern Conference regular season crown as the Bears get set to travel to Furman and Wofford this weekend.

The Bears open conference play with a rematch of last season's championship game against Furman on Thursday before continuing their five game road trip on Saturday at Wofford. The games are set to tip off at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (3-12) at Furman (9-5)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Timmons Arena
Live Stats: FurmanPaladins.com
TV: ESPN+
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Furman

Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (3-13, 0-1 SoCon) at Wofford (7-9, 0-1 SoCon)
Location: Spartanburg, S.C. | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium
Live Stats: WoffordTerriers.com/livestats
TV: ESPN3
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Wofford

SoCon Supremacy
Mercer enters Southern Conference play riding a 34-game winning streak against conference opponents, the longest streak in program history. The Bears will be tested early, however, as they open with a rematch of last season's SoCon Championship game against Furman on Thursday.

The Black and Orange are coming off back-to-back undefeated seasons in conference play, becoming the second team to accomplish that feat in SoCon history. Chattanooga achieved this accomplishment from 2013-15.

Foreign Territory
Mercer has struggled throughout the non-conference portion of the 2019-20 schedule, owning a 3-12 record. The Bears, who have won at least 20 games in five straight seasons and six-of-the-last seven, have suffered 12 losses in non-conference play for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign.

Filling The Bucket
Jaron Dougherty has been one of the most consistent scorer for Mercer throughout the season thus far, averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game. The Buford, Ga., native has posted team highs in 20-point games (6) and double-doubles (5), while reaching double figure points in 10-of-15 games this year.

The sophomore forward has been on a tear lately, averaging 18.9 points over the last seven games with six double-digit performances and five games when she scored more than 20. She tied her career high with a 26-point showing at Yale on Jan. 2 and earned her first recognition from the conference, being named the SoCon Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Last Time Out
Mercer concluded the non-conference portion of its 2019-20 schedule with a 77-48 setback at Columbia on Saturday afternoon.

The Bears struggled to get any momentum offensively, shooting just 27.4 percent (17-of-62) from the floor and 20.0 percent (5-of-25) from beyond-the-arc.

Three Bears reached double figures in the scoring column, led by sophomore Jaron Dougherty's 13-point performance. Tia Benvenuti added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from long range, and Shannon Titus scored 10 points. Dougherty collected six rebounds and a team-high three steals, while Benvenuti brought down four bards and dished out three assists. Emily Stradling provided some depth off the bench as well with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes of action.

Series History (Furman)
Mercer enjoyed a plethora of success against Furman, having won 16 of the 20 matchups which includes the last 11 meetings.

The Bears and Paladins will open this season the same way last year ended with a rematch of the SoCon Championship game. Mercer earned a 66-63 come-from-behind victory over the Paladins to punch its ticket to a sescond-straight NCAA Tournament berth. KeKe Calloway scored a game-high 30 points, while Shannon Titus tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rachel Selph contributed a game-high six blocks and added nine points in the win.

Scouting the Paladins
Furman (9-5) has hit its stride as of late, winning six of its last eight games. The Paladins are in the midst of a four-game home stand where they are 5-1 on the year.

Le'Jzae Davidson (14.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Tierra Hodges (11.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg) have been the dynamic duo for the Paladins throughout this season. Davidson has been lethal from long range, shooting at a clip of .326 (44-of-135) and making the 11th-most shots from beyond-the-arc in the country.

Hodges was selected as the SoCon Player of the Month for December after averaging a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last month. She led the Paladins to four wins over Georgia State, Richmond, Florida Atlantic and Saint Joseph's while being named SoCon Player of the Week (Dec. 10) and earning a spot on the FAU Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.

Series History (Wofford)
Mercer has seen a great deal of success against the Terriers throughout the series history dating back to 1997, owning a 13-1 record versus Wofford.

The Bears have won each of the last 12 outings, including a 69-51 victory in the SoCon Semifinals last season. In that game, Shannon Titus scored a game-high 29 points while recording six rebounds, five blocks, two assists and a steal.

Scouting the Terriers
Wofford has been a streaky team throughout the season so far, having two separate three-game winning streaks as well as a four-game losing skid.

Chloe Wanink (17.5 ppg) and Da'Ja Green (13.2 ppg) are the only two Terriers averaging double-digit points, while Green's 78 assists ranks second in the SoCon and 12th nationally.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Tia Benvenuti

KeKe Calloway

Jaron Dougherty

Rachel Selph

Emily Stradling

Shannon Titus

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