Women's Basketball Gameday: Mercer Comes to Town Saturday

Saturday, December 6

Statesboro, Ga.

4:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern University

Mercer

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12/5/2014 1:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.

By: Marc Gignac

Georgia Southern (2-4) vs. Mercer (4-3)
Date: Dec. 6, 2014 - 4:30 p.m.
Site: Hanner Fieldhouse (4,358 capacity) - Statesboro, Ga.
Audio: 91.9 FM, GS All-Access
Video: GS All-Access
Web sites: GSEagles.com, MercerBears.com
Coaches: Chris Vozab (20-48, 3rd yr), Susie Gardner (49-79, 5th year at Mercer)
[Tickets] [Live video] [Live stats] [Georgia Southern Game Notes (PDF)]
Promotons: Donate a new, unwrapped toy to Toys for Tots and receive a ticket for $5 (limit 1 toy per ticket)

Georgia Southern Information
[Stats] [Roster] [Schedule] [@GSAthletics_WBB] [Facebook]

Mercer Information
[Stats] [Roster] [Schedule] [@MercerWBB]

Layup Line

Georgia Southern returns home to face Mercer at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Fans can bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots and receive a ticket for $5 (limit 1 toy per ticket).
It's the last home contest of the calendar year for the Eagles and Georgia Southern's final home non-league game of the season.
The Eagles return eight letterwinners and three starters from last season's squad. Three of the top-5 scorers and rebounders are back for Georgia Southern.
Senior Anna Claire Knight was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team in the coaches poll, and the Eagles were picked to finish 10th.
Knight and junior Briana Jones were named Preseason All-Sun Belt by College Sports Madness.
Knight has 1,071 career points, 439 rebounds and 145 assists. No player in program history has recorded over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists for their career.
Georgia Southern is coming off a 78-52 loss at Jacksonville State Tuesday.
Mercer has lost its last two and is coming off a 68-49 home setback to No. 19/23 Georgia Thursday night.
The Bears were picked third in the Southern Conference Preseason Media Poll and fourth in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
Precious Bridges leads the Bears in scoring with 23.1 points and 2.4 assists a contest. She was named Preseason All-SoCon by the league's coaches.
Kahlia Lawrence averages 13.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, and Alicia Williams averages 10 points and six rebounds.

Series History

Mercer leads the all-time series 31-30, but Georgia Southern has won seven of the last eight.
Georgia Southern earned a 61-54 win in the last meeting last December in Hawkins Arena.
The Eagles and Bears first met in the 1973-74 campaign, the first season of women's basketball at Georgia Southern.
The teams have met 61 times over the years, and will play for the sixth consecutive season.
Georgia Southern and Mercer competed against each other as members of the NSWAC and TAAC until the Eagles joined the SoCon in 1991.
Mercer won the first 10 meetings of the series.
Last meeting (12/4/13): Anna Claire Knight and MiMi DuBose each scored 18 points, and Georgia Southern held Mercer to 30 percent shooting from the floor to earn a 61-54 victory over the Bears in Hawkins Arena.
Knight hit 6-of-14 from the field and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe for the Eagles, while DuBose knocked down 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-of-11 from the free-throw line. Lacie Dowling scored 12 points, and Briana Jones finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Danielle Spencer snared 12 rebounds and added four points.
The Eagles held the Bears to 23-of-77 from the field and 2-of-11 from 3-point range. Mercer also shot 6-of-16 at the foul line.
Georgia Southern used a 12-2 run to end the first half and scored the first nine points of the second frame to open a 17-point lead. DuBose and Knight each scored six points during the stretch, and Dowling added five.
The margin grew to 19 points at 49-30 when DuBose hit a triple from the wing with 9:48 left.
Last meeting in Hanner (12/7/12): Mercer pulled out the 48-44 victory behind a career-high 29 points from Precious Bridges.
Bridges scored nine of the Bears' last 10 points to hold off the Eagles and finished the game 12-of-31 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
With the shot clock winding down and the Bears clinging to a 42-40 lead, Bridges buried a 3-pointer from the wing with under a minute left in the game. Eagle guard Anna Claire Knight drove to the basket, hit a runner and was fouled for a 3-point play, but Bridges hit an elbow jumper with a hand in her face with 24 seconds remaining to extend the margin back to four.
MiMi DuBose scored 18 points to lead Georgia Southern, and Danielle Spencer scored 12 points to go along with five rebounds. Knight finished with 10 points and five boards.
Kendra Grant collected eight points and six rebounds for the Bears, and Smith tallied seven points and a game-high 17 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive glass. Teanna Robinson posted 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.