Mercer Continues Road Trip At Samford On Saturday

Saturday, February 14

Birmingham, Ala.

3 p.m.

Mercer University

Samford

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Mercer Continues Road Trip At Samford On Saturday

2/13/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – The Mercer women's basketball team will continue its four-game road trip on Saturday when the Bears make the short hop over to Birmingham, Ala., to battle Southern Conference nemesis Samford inside the Pete Hanna Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

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

ABOUT THE GAME
Date: Saturday, February 14 Time: 3 p.m. ET Location: Birmingham, Ala. I Pete Hanna Center TV: ESPN+ Live Statistics: MercerBears.com/Live Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

TICKETS
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by the Samford athletic ticketing portal.

LAST TIME OUT
Visiting Mercer limited East Tennessee State to just 22.2 percent shooting and 15 points in the opening half, and then used a handful of key defensive stops in the fourth quarter to down the hot-handed Buccaneers, 50-45, on Tuesday evening in Johnson City, Tenn. It was the third-straight win for the Bears who got 22 points from their bench, including a trio of buckets from senior Ariana Bennett in the fourth quarter alone. Tuesday's result also marked the 275th career victory for MU head coach Michelle Clark-Heard.

ABOUT MERCER
The Bears (15-9, 5-4 SoCon) have won 10 of their last 14 games dating back to mid-December, and will ride a three-game win streak into Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday. Defense has been the calling card amid the current winning skein for the Orange & Black who has limited its last three opponents to just 32.7 percent field goal shooting and a paltry 51.3 points per game. MU has also forced 18.7 turnovers per game over the last two weeks, while also turning in 10.0 steals per game. Senior Nahawa Diarra has canned nearly 48 percent (9-for-19) of her perimeter attempts over her last five starts and ranks 11^th among league leaders with 11.3 points per game. Sophomore Talia Kemp has proven to be a firecracker in the lineup this season as well with 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals an outing in 2025-26.

SCOUTING SAMFORD
The Bulldogs (10-16, 3-6 SoCon) have now tacked up consecutive wins for the second time this season after breaking a five-game skid with a 73-50 home win over Western Carolina on Thursday, and then dealing visiting UNC Greensboro a 68-64 setback on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. SU has won six games in the Pete Hanna Center in 2025-26, and are shooting 41.2 percent from the field in their home arena while also lighting up the scoreboard with an impressive 69.4 points per game. Freshman Kaylee Yarbrough ranks eighth among SoCon scorers with 13.0 points per game on 40.8 percent field goal shooting, while sophomore Briana Rivera leads the nation in both 3-pointers (85, 3.3/game) and 3-point attempts (236).

MERCER/SAMFORD SERIES
Mercer leads the 31-year-old series, 29-11, but the Bears had their eight-game series win streak snapped with a 65-49 loss on their last trip to Birmingham in 2024-25. The Orange & Black captured a 76-67 win over the Bulldogs when the two last met on January 17 in Hawkins Arena.

ON DECK
Mercer will resume its four-game road trip on February 19 when it heads to Spartanburg, S.C., to take on Wofford (12-11, 6-3 SoCon) at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Start time has been set for 11 a.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.