Friday, November 24
Destin, Fla.
Noon
Mercer University
vs
Tennessee State
Men's Basketball To Conclude Emerald Coast Classic in Florida
11/23/2023 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON – The Mercer men's basketball team will travel to Destin, Fla., to play the final two games of the Emerald Coast Classic. Friday's game will be at noon against Tennessee State (3-1), while Saturday's game time is to be announced and will pit the Bears against Western Michigan or Southeastern Louisiana. Both games will be streamed pay per view live on FloSports.
Mercer will meet Tennessee State for only the second time in program history. The Bears topped the Tigers, 68-60, in the squads' previous matchup en route to winning the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in March of 2012.Â
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Mercer will meet Tennessee State for only the second time in program history. The Bears topped the Tigers, 68-60, in the squads' previous matchup en route to winning the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in March of 2012.Â
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| GAMEDAY INFO |
| Mercer (1-3, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Tennessee State (3-1, 0-0 OVC) Friday, November 24 | 12:00 p.m. EST Destin, Fla. | Northwest Florida State College LIVE STATS TV: FloHoops (Pay Per View) |
| LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS |
| Mercer's first round of the Emerald Coast Classic was played in Tuscaloosa against the Alabama Crimson Tide. After Alabama went 9-for-9 in the first five minutes of the game and shot 80 percent from the field in the first half, the deficit at halftime 56-29. The second half was a different story, however, with the Tide's hot shooting cooling off and the Bears improving play, the second half margin was only four points. It was the first time this season that Alabama was held under 100 points. |
| SCOUTING REPORT |
| Tennessee State's only loss so far this season came from Oregon in another first round game of the Emerald Coast Classic where it suffered a similar score to Mercer's loss to Alabama, 92-67. Three Tennessee State players scored in double figures. Prior to that game, the Tigers defeated Fisk by 15, Kentucky State by 25 and Portland by 10. The Tigers were picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference after finishing third in the regular season in 2022-23 and losing to Southeast Missouri State in the second round of the tournament. Junior Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. and senior Kinyon Hodges were named to the Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team. Fitzgerald Jr. averaged 13.6 points per game last season and scored in double figures in 22 games. He currently leads the Tigers this season with 27.8 points per game. A transfer from Eastern Illinois, Hodges averaged 14.4 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field last season at EIU. He finished the campaign with 23 double-digit scoring games. Saturday's potential matchup in Destin, Fla., could include a contest with either Southeastern Louisiana or Western Michigan. The Bears are 5-8 all-time against SLU, and have just one previous meeting with Western Michigan - a 68-65 win during the 2015-16 campaign. |
| LOOKING AHEAD |
| Depending on Friday's game results, Mercer will play either Southeastern Louisiana or Western Michigan at 10:00 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. CT. on Saturday. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Men's Basketball on Facebook. |
| SUPPORT THE BEARS |
| Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit SupportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu. |
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