Mercer University
The Citadel
Bears to Make Trip to Palmetto State on Wednesday
1/19/2021 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mercer will travel to The Citadel for a 5 p.m. game.
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears are hitting the road and traveling the Palmetto State for the second time this season on Wednesday when they face The Citadel at 5 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 | 5:00 p.m.
Matchup: Mercer (8-4, 1-3 SoCon) at The Citadel (8-3, 0-3 SoCon)
Location: Charleston, S.C. | McAlister Field House
Live Stats: bit.ly/392D9Pj
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Radio: 100.9 The Creek and SportsMic with Rick Cameron on the callÂ
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBBa
Game Notes: Mercer | The Citadel
UPCOMING GAME/LAST TIME OUT
Mercer never trailed in a tight contest with the Western Carolina Catamounts, and Leon Ayers III's free throws gave the Bears the lead with 25 seconds left before Patrick Urey iced the game, allowing the Bears to secure a 78-76 win. Alvarez led the Orange & Black with 24 points, setting a career-high. Bender contributed a career-best 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting. His 10 field goals also matched his career-high. Ayers III was the third and final Bear in double figures. He contributed 17 off the bench, including 15 much needed points in the opening half. His final tally of 17 points matched his career-high. On Wednesday, the Bears will travel to Charleston, S.C. to take on The Citadel (5 p.m.). This marks Mercer's second trip to the Palmetto State this season.
About THE BULLDOGS
The Citadel jumped out to an 8-0 start, its best in program history. The 'Dogs have hit a slump recently, dropping their first three Southern Conference games. Hayden Brown has been a problem for opposing defenses this year with a SoCon best 21.5 points per game. Brown is averaging a double-double as he pulls down an impressive 10.1 rebounds per contest. Kaiden Rice averages 19.3 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY
Mercer leads, 18-7.
MOVING UP THE LIST
Ross Cummings became the 43rd player in Mercer men's basketball history to reach at least 1,000 career points when he made a layup with 5:45 to go against Wofford on Dec. 29. He scored 22 points against Furman to move into 40th all-time. Below are the players he is trying to catch. Prior to Cummings, the last Bear to join the 1,000 point club was Ethan Stair. Stair joined the club last season on Jan. 28 at Samford. The all-time leading scorer is James Florence. Florence played for the Bears from 2006-10 and tallied 2,286 points in his career. Cummings currently sits 38th among Mercer's top scorers and is three points away from sole possession of 37th.
1,000 Point Scorers
Rk.      Name                         Pts.
33.      Tony Bolds                 1,085
34.      Demetre Rivers          1,065
35.      Steve Moody              1,064
36.      Bud Thomas               1,059
37.      Will Emerson              1,050
38.      Ross Cummings         1,048
200+ CAREER THREE-POINTERS FOR CUMMINGS
The sharpshooting Cummings is nearing Mercer's all-time three-pointers made record, currently held by fan-favorite Langston Hall. Hall, who led the Bears to a stunning upset of No. 3 Duke in the NCAA Tournament in 2014, knocked down 256 treys. James Florence, the Bears' all-time leading scorer knocked down 242 shots from beyond the arc. Thanks to four against Ga. Southern (Dec. 13), Cummings has sole possession of third all-time on the list. His five three's on Dec. 29 vs. Wofford put him over 200 total. He currently has 212 three-pointers made and is 45 away from the record.
Rk.      Name                         3's
1         Langston Hall             256
2.        James Florence          242
3.        Ross Cummings         212
4.        E.J. Kusnyer               190
5.        Bud Thomas               161
 CUMMINGS HIGH AMONG ACTIVE SCORING LEADERS
Ross Cummings is among the Southern Conference's active career scoring leaders. He sits just 51 points outside the top-five.
Name                        School Yr.      PointsÂ
Isaiah Miller               UNCG Sr.      1,656
Clay Mounce             FUR    Sr.      1,132
David Jean-Baptiste   UTC    Sr.      1,130
Matt Halvorsen       WCU   Sr.      1,124
Storm Murphy            WOF   Sr.      1.122
Ross Cummings         Mercer R-Sr.   1,048
ALVAREZ LENDING A HELPING HAND, GARY LEADING CONFERENCE IN AST:TO RATIO
Neftali Alvarez is currently leading the Southern Conference in assists at 5.8 assists per contest while Jeff Gary (4.0) is tied for forth (as of publication date). Below are the top-five leaders in the Southern Conference. Gary leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.4:1
Name             School Games Assists Assists/Game
Neftali Alvarez MERÂ Â Â 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 50Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5.0
Storm Murphy WOF   12       57       4.8
M.Faulkner      WCU  10       45       4.5
David Sloan    ETSU  11       45       4.1
Isaiah Miller    UNCG 13       55       3.9
DON't LEAVE him open! CUMMINGS AMONG SOCON'S BEST FROM DISTANCE
Ross Cummings is third among active SoCon players career in three-pointers made.
Name                        School Yr.    3's
Matt Halvorsen            WCU  Sr.      259
Kaiden Rice               Citadel Sr.      237
Ross Cummings         Mercer R-Sr.  212
HOW TO FOLLOW THE BEARS
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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