Bears Travel to Western Carolina

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball program is on the road to play Western Carolina on Saturday, January 7 at 4 p.m. at the Ramsey Center. Mercer (7-9, 0-3) is looking for its first conference win of the season while Western Carolina (9-7, 2-1) is hoping to record its third-straight SoCon win of the season.

GAMEDAY INFO
Mercer (7-9, 0-3) vs. Western Carolina (9-7, 2-1)
Saturday, January 7 | 4:00 p.m.
Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
LIVE STATS
TV: ESPN+ | RADIO: SportsMic Radio Network

Mercer narrowly leads the all-time series with the Catamounts, 13-12. The two teams met three times last season, featuring a matchup in the Southern Conference tournament in which the Bears earned a thundering win, 81-53. Mercer has not won at WCU since 2019.

SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA
Western Carolina's season can be described by waves as the Catamounts had a four-game winning streak and a four-game losing period this season. WCU has also shown more success on the road than many SoCon teams in non-conference play with three road wins and two neutral victories.

The Catamounts shocked the SoCon with a win over the preseason favorite, Furman, just two days after suffering a 25-point loss to UNCG. WCU earned its second conference win at ETSU on Wednesday, 71-60, and currently sits at 9-7 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

Three players are scoring in double figures for Western Carolina led by Tyzhaun Claude averaging 14.4 points per game. The junior also leads the team in rebounds with 8.2 per game and leads the conference in offensive rebounds. Tre Jackson, who averages 14.3 points per game, currently leads the SoCon in 3-point FG made.

RECENT ACTION
Mercer dropped its third conference game of the season on Wednesday against Wofford, 53-52. Despite leading for over 25 minutes, the Bears fell after a last-second shot by Jackson Paveltzke gave the Terriers the lead with 0.7 seconds left. It was a defensive game from both sides, but Mercer could not sink enough shots to complement the defensive effort.

The Bears started the eighth different lineup of the season against the Terriers, and the starting five on Wednesday accounted for all but four points. The scoring efforts were led by Jalyn McCreary (16 PTS) for the ninth game this season. Mercer outrebounded Wofford 35-30 led by David Craig (6 REB), Jah Quinones (5 REB), and Shannon Grant (5 REB).

FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

David Craig

Shannon Grant

Jalyn McCreary

Jah Quinones

Footer

Mercer University Athletics