Bears Open Road Slate At Wake Forest Sunday - Mercer University Athletics

MACON – The Mercer women's basketball will open the road portion of its 2026-27 regular season schedule on Sunday when the Bears pack up their show and head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to take on Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. inside the LJVM Coliseum.

Fans unable to make the trip to central North Carolina can still follow all of the action for free via a live statistics link provided by the WFU athletics department. The game is also slated to be broadcast live on the ACC Network/ESPN+.

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Sunday, November 8 Time: 12:30 p.m. ET Location: Winston-Salem, N.C. I LJVM Coliseum TV: ACC Network Extra/ESPN+ Live Statistics: MercerBears.com/Live Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

TICKETS
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting the Wake Forest athletics ticketing portal.

LAST TIME OUT
Home-standing Mercer used 41 percent field goal shooting and a 31-for-41 clip from the free throw line to offset 35 turnovers, but it was a handful of late defensive stands that allowed the Bears to surge past visiting Georgia Southern, 69-61, on Thursday evening at Hawkins Arena. Mercer got double-digit scoring efforts from four different players in the victory that kept the Bears perfect through two games for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

ABOUT THE BEARS
Mercer enters the matchup at 2-0 and has been dominant defensively, holding opponents to just 51.0 points per game, 29.3 percent shooting and 19.6 percent from 3-point range while posting a +18.0 scoring margin. Offensively, the Bears are led by freshman Maliyah Lofton who averages 17.0 points per game while shooting 60.0 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. Seniors Micah O'Dell (11.5 ppg) and Abigail Holtman (11.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg), as well as 5th Year newcomer Ada Anamekwe (9.0 ppg) provide veteran support. Mercer excels on the glass (+6.5 rebounding margin) and protects the rim with 4.0 blocks per game.

SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Wake Forest is off to a 2-0 start and has been dominant on the defensive end, allowing just 55.5 points per game while forcing 22.5 turnovers per contest. The Demon Deacons average 75.0 points, shoot 44.3 percent from the floor and generate offense through pressure defense, collecting 14.0 steals per game. Freshman guard Oshauna Holland leads the team with 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while senior Mary Carter contributes 12.5 points and a team-high six blocks. Aurora Sørbye adds perimeter scoring at 10.0 points per game. Wake's depth is evident, with six players averaging at least 7.5 points.

MERCER/WAKE FOREST SERIES
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 7-1, and will carry a seven-game series win streak into Sunday's outing. The Bears won the initial series matchup with the Demon Deacons in 1978-79 (86-47), but Wake Forest has been in the win column for every game since. Home-standing Wake Forest shot 45.3 percent from the field and used six-straight points in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good on the way to holding off the Bears, 66-61, in last season's matchup.

UP NEXT
Mercer will make a quick stop home on Thursday to take on Charleston Southern (0-1) inside Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased 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.

SUPPORT THE BEARS
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 GiveMAF.com.

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Players Mentioned

Ada Anamekwe

Abigail Holtman

Maliyah Lofton

Micah O'Dell

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