Mercer University
Bowling Green
Mercer Heads To Savannah For Hostilo Hoops Classic
11/21/2023 1:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears will play Bowling Green Wednesday and Marist Thursday
GAME INFO
Hostilo Hoops Community Classic
Nov. 22-23, 2023 | Savannah, Ga. |Â Enmarket Arena
TV:Â None
Mercer (1-4, 0-0 SoCon) vs Bowling Green (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
Wednesday, Nov. 22 | Noon ET.
Mercer (1-4, 0-0 SoCon) vs Marist (2-1, 0-0 MAAC)
Thursday, Nov. 23 | 11:30 a.m. ET.
SERIES HISTORY
Mercer has played each of Bowling Green and Marist just once previously. The Bears are 1-0 against both Bowling Green and Marist.
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green is led by first year head coach Fred Chimel. Chimel joined Bowling Green after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at South Carolina.
Bowling Green is coming off a fantastic 2022-23 season in which they went 31-7 and 14-4 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Falcons' 31 wins last season were tied for fourth in all of NCAA Division-I women's basketball in 2022-23. Only the current No. 1 team in the country South Carolina, defending national champion LSU, and Florida Gulf Coast had more wins in the '22-23 campaign.
Bowling Green was picked to finish fourth in the MAC in the 2023-24 preseason coaches poll. They return nine players and one starter from last season's team.
Lexi Fleming was selected to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team for the second consecutive year. Fleming played in 36 of the Falcons' 38 games last season, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists while making 51 three-point field goals. Fleming was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020-21 before missing the '21-22 season due to injury.
This season, Fleming leads the Falcons in scoring with 15.3 points per game. Junior guard Amy Velasco is close behind averaging 15.0 points per game while leading the team in minutes played. Freshman Taya Ellis leads the team in rebounding at 7.5 rebounds per game.
Bowling Green has shot the ball well so far this season. Through their opening three games, the Falcons are tied for third in the MAC in scoring at 70.0 points per game and they rank second in the conference in field goal percentage at 48.4 percent.
SCOUTING MARIST
Marist is led by first year head coach Erin Doughty. Despite being in her first season as head coach at Marist, Doughty is not stranger to the Marist women's basketball program as she is in her 22nd year in association with the program. Her previous years include time as a student-athlete, student assistant coach, assistant coach and associate head coach.
Last season, Marist went 12-18 overall and 8-12 in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Marist enters the Hostillo Hoops Invitational with a 2-1 record with wins over Army and Lafayette.Â
Marist was picked to finish fourth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Senior guard Kiara Fisher and senior forward Zaria Shazer were named to the Preseason All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference First Team. The duo led the Red Wolves in scoring last season.
Zaria Shazer leads the MAAC in scoring this season at 20.7 points per game. Her 8.7 rebounds per game are second most on the team and fourth most in the conference.
The Red Wolves are averaging 70.3 points per game and are shooting 41.7 percent from the field. They rank third in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.0%.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mercer women's basketball team couldn't finish the job in the fourth quarter against Tulane as the Green wave squeezed out a 64-58 win over the Bears last Sunday from Hawkins Arena.
Mercer led 44-43 going into the fourth quarter, but Tulane outscored the Bears 21-14 in the final quarter to grab the win in non-conference action.
The Bears held Tulane to just 18-of-57 (32%) shooting from the field, and the Green Wave were just 3-for-20 (15%) from three-point range. However, the Green Wave did most of their damage from getting offensive rebounds and getting to the free throw line. The Green Wave had 21 offensive rebounds to Mercer's 12 and were 25-for-32 (78%) from the free throw line.
Mercer made a season-high nine three-pointers on 27 attempts, but shot 21-for-55 (38%) from the field. Mackenzie Johnson led the Bears with 12 points and Deja Williams was the other Bear in double figures with 11 points. Aspen Johnson added eight points and five rebounds for the Bears.
NEED TO KNOW
Mackenzie Johnson was 5-for-7 (71.4%) from the field against Tulane. Her best field goal percentage of the season.
FOLLOW THE BEARSÂ
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter),  /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_wbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
