Big South Home Opener

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will look to continue their hot start to Big South play as they will welcome Gardner-Webb to Five Star Stadium tomorrow afternoon. Not only is it their sixth meeting with the Runnin' Bulldogs, but it also marks their first-ever Big South game at home.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Teams: Mercer Bears (6-3, 2-0 Big South) vs. Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (5-5, 1-1 Big South)
Date: Wednesday, April 6 • 3 p.m.
Location: Five Star Stadium • Macon, Ga.
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Watch Live: ESPN+

SERIES HISTORY
This is the sixth meeting between the Bears and Runnin' Bulldogs and the first since Mercer took a 20-6 win in February 2020. In that last game, Hailey Rhatigan led Mercer with five goals and two assists in the 15-goal win.

SCOUTING MERCER
Mercer is looking to win its third-straight Big South game when they take the field on Wednesday. The Bears are coming off a 20-4 road win over Radford where Rhatigan led the offense with seven points on six goals and an assist this past Saturday. In the last win, 10 different Bears found the back of the Radford net in the 16-goal win. Through the nine games, Rhatigan's 40 goals places her 19^th in Division I, and her 4.44 goals per game ranks her fourth nationally. Erin Degnan's 34 wins in the draw circle leads Mercer while Ainsley Malamala and Emma Pizzo lead with nine caused turnovers apiece. Isea Cryne has made 71 saves in over 730 minutes in the cage.

SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB
The Runnin' Bulldogs enter with a 5-5 mark and a 1-1 record in league play, having fallen to Furman by a 17-14 score in their last time out. Talen Francis and Jada Preston pace the Gardner-Webb offense with 38 and 36 points, respectively through the 10 games. Maddie Martin leads the team in the draw circle, having won on 64 occasions – which totals to 6.40 per game, which is 20^th in the country. Heather Lobas' 17 caused turnovers leads the Runnin' Bulldogs. Danielle Burke has played most of the minutes between the pipes for Gardner-Webb, clocking over 506 minutes and making 74 saves.

Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Lacrosse, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWLAX (Twitter) and @Mercerwlax (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

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Players Mentioned

Erin Degnan

Ainsley Malamala

Emma Pizzo

Hailey Rhatigan

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