Bears Host Charlotte On Education Day Thursday

MACON – The Mercer women's basketball team will make a long-awaited trip home on Thursday when the Bears open up a two-game home stand against Charlotte on Education Day in Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia can still follow the action for free via a live statistics link provided by the B-C athletics department. The game is also scheduled to be broadcasted live on ESPN+.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Thursday, December 5 Time: 11 a.m. ET Location: Macon, Ga. I Hawkins Arena TV: ESPN+ Live Statistics: MercerStats.com Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

ABOUT THE BEARS
The Bears (4-5) snapped a two-game skid, as well as picked up their first road win of the season, with a 70-64 triumph over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. Mercer collected 20 assists and went 20-for-30 from the free throw line to key the result. Junior Ariana Bennett has averaged a team-best 10.8 points per game over the last six outings, including nine in Saturday's win in Daytona Beach, Fla. Bennett has shot 53.3 percent (24-for-49) over that six-game span, while also turning in 5.5 rebounds an outing. The Orange & Black matched a season low with 14 turnovers in Saturday's win over Bethune-Cookman. MU is averaging just 14.5 turnovers over the last four games, while also tallying 11.3 assists a game across that stretch. Charlotte has captured four of the previous seven games in the series with the Bears, including a 65-58 win in North Carolina last year. The Bears captured the first-ever meeting with the 49ers, 79-59, on Jan. 9, 1984, but Charlotte rebounded by taking each of the next three games. Mercer won two-straight after that, including a 57-40 triumph in Macon on Dec. 8, 2018 in the last matchup between the two squads at Hawkins Arena.

ABOUT CHARLOTTE
The 49ers (3-5) will ride a two-game losing streak into Middle Georgia after dropping both games at the Miami (Fla.) Thanksgiving Tournament, including a 62-53 setback to Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday. SLU used a 19-8 scoring disparity in the third quarter to take an 18-point advantage into the final period, and then held off a late rally by the Niners. Junior Hayleigh Breland averages a team-best 11.8 points per game for Charlotte, while also contributing 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. That includes a 30-point outing against Gardner-Webb two weeks ago in which she went 12-for-19 from the field, including a 6-for-8 clip from the perimeter. The Niners have attempted more than 20 free throws (20.50) per game so far this season (49^th NCAA), but shoot just 66.5 percent (246^th NCAA) from the charity stripe. In spite of that, Charlotte still scores 13.6 points per game from the line.

ON DECK
The Bears will close out their home stand on Sunday when they bunker down to take on in-state rival Georgia Tech (7-0) in Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (X/Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_wbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

Bears Host Charlotte On Education Day Thursday

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