Bears Host Mississippi Valley State On Sunday

Sunday, December 14

Macon, Ga.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

Mississippi Valley State

Buy Tickets

Bears Host Mississippi Valley State On Sunday

12/13/2025 9:21:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – The Mercer women's basketball team will open up a short two-game home stand on Sunday when the Bears suit up to welcome Mississippi Valley State to Macon for a 2 p.m. tipoff in Hawkins Arena.

Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia 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+ with Billy Andrews and Bill Connelly handling the call. Rick Cameron and the rest of the Mercer Sports Network will call all of the action as well, and fans can listen to that broadcast on The Creek 100.9 FM, or by visiting Sportsmic.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Sunday, December 14 Time: 2 p.m. ET Location: Macon, Ga. I Hawkins Arena TV: ESPN+ Listen Live: 100.9 The Creek I Sportsmic Network Live Statistics: MercerBears.com/Live Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

TICKETS
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

LAST TIME OUT
Jacksonville State shot better than 46 percent from the field in the second half and used a 7-0 scoring spurt in the fourth quarter to pull away for good on the way to a 72-62 victory over the visiting Bears on December 6. Newcomer Talia Kemp scored a team-high 12 points on 5-for-10 field goal shooting, while also turning in two rebounds, a pair of steals and one block. Senior Ariana Bennett scored 10 points to cross the 1,000-point plateau for her career.

ABOUT THE BEARS
The Bears (5-5) continue to showcase the Southern Conference's best 3-point shooting squad (33.6 percent) and have connected on at least five perimeter shots six times this season. Mercer has been just as deadly at the free throw line having drained nearly 74 percent (.738) of their attempts from the charity stripe. Defensively, MU ranks second among the eight SoCon teams with 9.0 steals per game, and have held opponents to just 64.1 points per game as well. Ariana Bennett averages a team-best 12.4 points an outing, including 15.8 scoring average over her last six starts, while fellow senior Nahawa Diarra is holding her own in the back court with 11.8 points and a team-best 4.7 rebounds per game this season.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
The Delta Devilettes (1-7) rank second among the 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) squads with an impressive 3.5 blocks per game, and have forced 17.5 turnovers an outing as well. Mississippi Valley State, however, has surrendered more than 94 points per game so far this season and has yielded 95 or more points five times, all against Power 4 institutions. MVSU has dropped each of its last four games, including a 133-46 setback at then-No. 24 Oklahoma State on December 6. Junior Kylah McCullers (9.8 points/game) and graduate forward Ariel Jefferson (9.6) pace the scoring column for the Delta Devilettes, while three players – Jefferson, Jaeda Murphy and Nairobi Lewis – have connected on at least 40 percent of their field goal attempts so far in 2025-26.

MERCER/MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE SERIES
The Bears have faced Mississippi Valley State just one other time amid the long-standing history of both programs. The Delta Devilettes eked out a 70-68 win over Mercer on March 10, 1982 at the Florida State-hosted FAIAW State Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla.

ON DECK
Mercer will play its final home game of the 2025 calendar year on Wednesday when it takes on NCAA Division II foe Erskine (1-3) on Education Day in Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets. Fans can also gain free admission by donating a pair of socks as part of a partnership with the Merrie Christmas Project.

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.