Wednesday, February 16
Macon, Ga.
7:00 PM
Mercer University
vs
ETSU
Photo by: James Thomas
Bears Seek Revenge Against the Bucs in Hawkins
2/15/2022 6:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mercer set to host ETSU in Hawkins Arena at 7 p.m.
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears will host the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in Hawkins Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 16 with tip-off slated for 7 P.M. available to stream on ESPN+.
BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 | 7 p.m.
Matchup: Mercer (14-13, 7-7 SoCon ) vs ETSU (13-14, 5-9 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: Listen Here
TV: Stream on ESPN+ / Watch Here
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here
LAST TIME OUT:
Mercer downed UNCG in Greensboro, N.C., 73-64 on Sunday, February 13, in the Greensboro Coliseum. Felipe Haase led Mercer with 28 points on 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Sophomore center, Shannon Grant scored in double figures for the third time this season with 12 points and four rebounds. Kamar Robertson finished with 11 points and five rebounds and rounded out the double digit scoring for the Bears.
After trading baskets for much of the first half, Haase made a 3-pointer with 8:41 remaining to give Mercer a 21-15 lead. Haase continued his strong first half performance by scoring on Mercer's next four of seven possessions and extends Mercer's led to 34-25. Shannon Grant, after scoring on consecutive possessions with under 2 minutes left in the first half, gave the Bears the halftime lead of 38-25.
After a layup by UNCG's Abdulsalam to start the second half, the Bears went on a 7-1 run to give Mercer an 18-point lead, their largest lead of the game, with 16:46 remaining. UNCG would cut the lead to eleven after Bas Leyte and Kobe Langley would score a combined 8 points and the Bears went on a 2:39 scoring drought.
Robertson broke the Bears scoring drought with 14:25 remaining in the second half after he was fouled on a made layup and connected on the free throw to give the Bears 48-34 lead. With under 10 minutes left in the game, the Spartans defense came alive and held Mercer to only 3 points for the next 4 minutes while scoring 9 points. After a Mercer turnover, Langley made a three pointer to cut the lead to 6 with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game.
Mercer would go on a 6-0 run over the next 2 minutes to take a 14-point lead. Langley, scored 9 straight points for the Spartans, but it wasn't enough to beat the Bears. Mercer rolled past UNCG to claim a 73-64 victory.
SERIES HISTORY:
ETSU has won 13 of the last 15 games over the Bears and lead the all-time series, 25-10. The Bucs most recently defeated Mercer 72-64 on Jan. 19 in Johnson City where ETSU ended the final five minutes on a 15-4 run. The Orange and Black will look to get revenge with Wednesday's home court advantage.
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS:
ETSU (13-14, 5-9 SoCon) fell to Samford (16-9, 6-7) 77-73 in Freedom Hall on Saturday night. Earlier in the week ETSU, the Bucs beat Furman 75-71
ETSU's last seven games have been decided by four points or less with the Bucs dropping six of those contests by a combined 19 points.
Over the last seven games, it's been a tale of two halves for ETSU. Offensively, ETSU is averaging over 39 points in the opening 20 minutes and shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc. ETSU is averaging 6.6 made per threes. With that being said, in the second half, ETSU is averaging 35 points, shooting 33 percent from three and averaging 3.7 made threes.
Defensively, in the first half, the Bucs are holding the opposition to 34 points, 43 percent shooting and a 30 percent clip from beyond the arc and only 5.7 made threes. However, in the second half during this seven-game run, opponents are averaging 42 points, shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three and averaging 6.4 made threes.
Ledarrius Brewer made his 100th career start last Saturday vs. Samford. For his career, Brewer has totaled 1,583 points, 500 rebounds, 194 assists, 132 steals and 232 made three-pointers. Overall, Brewer has made at least one three-pointer in 97 of his 111 games played and has made multiple three-pointers in 66 career games. Brewer has made at least one field goal in 110 of his 111 games played and scored points in 109 contests. Brewer is just one of 13 active NCAA Division I players since 2017-18 to have recorded over 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 made threes, 150 assists and 100 steals.
UP NEXT GRAPHIC:
The Bears are currently sitting at sixth in the conference with a 7-7 record in conference play.
Team SoCon Overall
Chattanooga 12-2 22-5
Furman 9-5 17-10
VMI 8-6 15-11
UNCG 7-7 15-11
Wofford 7-7 15-11
Mercer 7-7 14-13
Samford 6-7 16-9
The Citadel 5-8 11-13
ETSU 5-9 13-14
Western Carolina 3-11 9-18
SHARING IS CARING:
Mercer is fourth as a team in the Southern Conference in assists while averaging 15 assists per game. Felipe Haase leads Mercer with a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio.
FREEBIES AT THE CHARITY STRIPE:
Haase is ranked first in the Southern Conference making 86.5% percent of his free throws attempted. Haase has attempted 89 FTs so far on the season.
Rk. Name (School). FTM FTA Avg.
1. Felipe Haase-MER 77 89 .865
2. Max Klesmit-WOF 66 77 .857
3. Mike Bothwell-FUR 82 98 .837
SHARPSHOOTING:
The sharpshooting Felipe Haase is in the top five within the league for three-point field goal proficiency. Furman and Mercer are the only two teams that have two or more people representing themselves within the top 10, proving just how effective they are from behind the arc.
Rk. Name (School). 3PTA. 3PTM. Avg.
1. Joe Anderson-FUR 34 70 .486
2. Jake Stephens-VMI 59 127 .465
3. Jordan King-ETSU 83 188 .441
4. De'Monte Buckingham-UNCG 57 130 .438
5. Felipe Haase-MER 62 143 .434
HOME SWEET HOME:
Hawkins Arena has been kind to the Bears in recent years. Each of the past two seasons, Mercer has earned nine wins on their home floor. Below is Mercer's record at home since the 2019-20 campaign. Since the beginning of the Greg Gary era, Mercer is 27-13 at home during his current campaign.
Season Record
2019-20 9-6
2020-21 9-4
2021-22 9-3
Total 27-13
UP NEXT:
Mercer will host East Tennessee State on Wednesday, Feb. 16 inside Hawkins Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 P.M. The matchup on Wednesday can be viewed on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Mercer Sports Network (100.9 The Creek, SportsMic) with Rick Cameron on the call.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW | ALUMNI NIGHT:
Purchase your 2021-22 season tickets here to watch the Bears in action at Hawkins Arena. The Bears' next home game is on Wednesday, Feb. 23 against The Citadel at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Feb. 23 game can be purchased HERE.
BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 | 7 p.m.
Matchup: Mercer (14-13, 7-7 SoCon ) vs ETSU (13-14, 5-9 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: Listen Here
TV: Stream on ESPN+ / Watch Here
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here
LAST TIME OUT:
Mercer downed UNCG in Greensboro, N.C., 73-64 on Sunday, February 13, in the Greensboro Coliseum. Felipe Haase led Mercer with 28 points on 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Sophomore center, Shannon Grant scored in double figures for the third time this season with 12 points and four rebounds. Kamar Robertson finished with 11 points and five rebounds and rounded out the double digit scoring for the Bears.
After trading baskets for much of the first half, Haase made a 3-pointer with 8:41 remaining to give Mercer a 21-15 lead. Haase continued his strong first half performance by scoring on Mercer's next four of seven possessions and extends Mercer's led to 34-25. Shannon Grant, after scoring on consecutive possessions with under 2 minutes left in the first half, gave the Bears the halftime lead of 38-25.
After a layup by UNCG's Abdulsalam to start the second half, the Bears went on a 7-1 run to give Mercer an 18-point lead, their largest lead of the game, with 16:46 remaining. UNCG would cut the lead to eleven after Bas Leyte and Kobe Langley would score a combined 8 points and the Bears went on a 2:39 scoring drought.
Robertson broke the Bears scoring drought with 14:25 remaining in the second half after he was fouled on a made layup and connected on the free throw to give the Bears 48-34 lead. With under 10 minutes left in the game, the Spartans defense came alive and held Mercer to only 3 points for the next 4 minutes while scoring 9 points. After a Mercer turnover, Langley made a three pointer to cut the lead to 6 with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game.
Mercer would go on a 6-0 run over the next 2 minutes to take a 14-point lead. Langley, scored 9 straight points for the Spartans, but it wasn't enough to beat the Bears. Mercer rolled past UNCG to claim a 73-64 victory.
SERIES HISTORY:
ETSU has won 13 of the last 15 games over the Bears and lead the all-time series, 25-10. The Bucs most recently defeated Mercer 72-64 on Jan. 19 in Johnson City where ETSU ended the final five minutes on a 15-4 run. The Orange and Black will look to get revenge with Wednesday's home court advantage.
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS:
ETSU (13-14, 5-9 SoCon) fell to Samford (16-9, 6-7) 77-73 in Freedom Hall on Saturday night. Earlier in the week ETSU, the Bucs beat Furman 75-71
ETSU's last seven games have been decided by four points or less with the Bucs dropping six of those contests by a combined 19 points.
Over the last seven games, it's been a tale of two halves for ETSU. Offensively, ETSU is averaging over 39 points in the opening 20 minutes and shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc. ETSU is averaging 6.6 made per threes. With that being said, in the second half, ETSU is averaging 35 points, shooting 33 percent from three and averaging 3.7 made threes.
Defensively, in the first half, the Bucs are holding the opposition to 34 points, 43 percent shooting and a 30 percent clip from beyond the arc and only 5.7 made threes. However, in the second half during this seven-game run, opponents are averaging 42 points, shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three and averaging 6.4 made threes.
Ledarrius Brewer made his 100th career start last Saturday vs. Samford. For his career, Brewer has totaled 1,583 points, 500 rebounds, 194 assists, 132 steals and 232 made three-pointers. Overall, Brewer has made at least one three-pointer in 97 of his 111 games played and has made multiple three-pointers in 66 career games. Brewer has made at least one field goal in 110 of his 111 games played and scored points in 109 contests. Brewer is just one of 13 active NCAA Division I players since 2017-18 to have recorded over 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 made threes, 150 assists and 100 steals.
UP NEXT GRAPHIC:
THE SOCON RACE:𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐔𝐩 - 2/16/22 l @ETSU_MBB
— Mercer Men's Basketball (@MercerMBB) February 15, 2022
🏀: Hawkins Arena | 7 P.M.
🖥: Stream on @ESPNPlus
📊: StatBroadcast
📻: Mercer Sports Radio / https://t.co/5CEtLcWVS7#LetsRoar x #BearNation pic.twitter.com/a3kuhhxNpk
The Bears are currently sitting at sixth in the conference with a 7-7 record in conference play.
Team SoCon Overall
Chattanooga 12-2 22-5
Furman 9-5 17-10
VMI 8-6 15-11
UNCG 7-7 15-11
Wofford 7-7 15-11
Mercer 7-7 14-13
Samford 6-7 16-9
The Citadel 5-8 11-13
ETSU 5-9 13-14
Western Carolina 3-11 9-18
SHARING IS CARING:
Mercer is fourth as a team in the Southern Conference in assists while averaging 15 assists per game. Felipe Haase leads Mercer with a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio.
| Rk. Name (School) Average 1. Alex Hunter-FUR 3.1 2. Ryan Larson-WOF 2.4 3. David Sloan-ETSU 2.2 4. Trey Bonham-VMI 2.1 5. Felipe Haase-MER 2.0 |
FREEBIES AT THE CHARITY STRIPE:
Haase is ranked first in the Southern Conference making 86.5% percent of his free throws attempted. Haase has attempted 89 FTs so far on the season.
Rk. Name (School). FTM FTA Avg.
1. Felipe Haase-MER 77 89 .865
2. Max Klesmit-WOF 66 77 .857
3. Mike Bothwell-FUR 82 98 .837
SHARPSHOOTING:
The sharpshooting Felipe Haase is in the top five within the league for three-point field goal proficiency. Furman and Mercer are the only two teams that have two or more people representing themselves within the top 10, proving just how effective they are from behind the arc.
Rk. Name (School). 3PTA. 3PTM. Avg.
1. Joe Anderson-FUR 34 70 .486
2. Jake Stephens-VMI 59 127 .465
3. Jordan King-ETSU 83 188 .441
4. De'Monte Buckingham-UNCG 57 130 .438
5. Felipe Haase-MER 62 143 .434
HOME SWEET HOME:
Hawkins Arena has been kind to the Bears in recent years. Each of the past two seasons, Mercer has earned nine wins on their home floor. Below is Mercer's record at home since the 2019-20 campaign. Since the beginning of the Greg Gary era, Mercer is 27-13 at home during his current campaign.
Season Record
2019-20 9-6
2020-21 9-4
2021-22 9-3
Total 27-13
UP NEXT:
Mercer will host East Tennessee State on Wednesday, Feb. 16 inside Hawkins Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 P.M. The matchup on Wednesday can be viewed on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Mercer Sports Network (100.9 The Creek, SportsMic) with Rick Cameron on the call.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW | ALUMNI NIGHT:
Purchase your 2021-22 season tickets here to watch the Bears in action at Hawkins Arena. The Bears' next home game is on Wednesday, Feb. 23 against The Citadel at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Feb. 23 game can be purchased HERE.
Players Mentioned
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