Bears Host Wofford On Thursday Night

MACON – The Mercer women's basketball team will open up a short two-game home stand on Thursday evening when the Bears suit up to battle Southern Conference foe Wofford at Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

Fans unable to make the trip to Macon can still follow the action for free via a live statistics link provided by the MU athletics department. The game is also scheduled to be broadcasted live on ESPN+. The game is also scheduled to be broadcasted live on ESPN+, as well as on the Sportsmic App with veteran broadcaster Rick Cameron handling the play-by-play duties.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Thursday, January 23 Time: 7 p.m. ET Location: Macon, Ga. I Hawkins Arena TV: ESPN+ Listen Live: Sportsmic Network Live Statistics: MercerStats.com Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

ABOUT MERCER
Mercer (6-12, 1-2 SoCon) dropped the second leg of a two-game road trip through the state of Tennessee with a 60-37 setback at defending Southern Conference champion Chattanooga on Saturday. The Mocs shot nearly 40 percent from the floor and used a 15-2 run in the second quarter to pull away for good. Freshman Talia Harris tallied a team-best 12 points, while senior Ashlee Locke tacked up a career-best eight blocks. Harris has recorded double-digit scoring numbers in four of her last five starts, and is averaging a team-best 13.4 points per game over the last five outings, while also shooting 40.9 percent (27-for-66) from the floor over that span. Senior Nahawa Diarra is pouring in 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists over her last four starts. The Bears have held opponents to just a 37.5 percent shooting clip in nine previous home games this season, but have forced just 14.2 turnovers per game in Hawkins Arena in 2024-25. Offensively, the Orange & Black has tacked up nearly 14 points per game (13.8) from the charity stripe thanks to a 78.1 percent success rate from the line. Mercer leads the all-time series with the Terriers, 21-5, including an 11-1 mark against Wofford inside Hawkins Arena. The Bears captured 10-straight games at home in the series before dropping a 76-71 decision to their league rival on Jan. 26, 2023, but got back on track with a 79-74 win over the Terriers last season (Feb. 24, 2024) in Macon.

SCOUTING WOFFORD
The SoCon-leading Terriers (11-5, 3-0 SoCon) will ride a five-game win streak into Macon thanks to a 66-53 home win over visiting Western Carolina on Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C. That game marked the final leg of a five-game home stand for the Terriers that watched them outscore opponents by 32.0 points per game. Senior Helen Matthews registered a game-best 24 points in Saturday's win. Four Terriers bring double-digit scoring averages into Thursday evening's contest, including senior guard Rachel Rose who puts up 12.5 points per game on 39.1 percent field goal shooting. Sophomore post Evangelia Paulk leads the way down low for Wofford with 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds an outing. Wofford has held opponents to a paltry 36.0 percent success rate (18^th NCAA) from the field this season and has forced 18.3 turnovers an outing as well. Offensively, the Terriers put up more than 25 perimeter attempts per game, including a 14-for-29 clip from downtown in a 68-51 rout of Furman.

ON DECK
The Bears will close out their short stay at home on Saturday when they tangle with Southern Conference foe Furman (11-8, 1-2 SoCon) in the front half of a 2 p.m. Education Day women's and men's doubleheader inside Hawkins Arena. Fans can enjoy both games for the price of one ticket by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

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.

Players Mentioned

Nahawa Diarra

Talia Harris

Ashlee Locke

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