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:Â 91.9 FM,Â
GS All-AccessVideo: GS All-AccessWeb 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:Â 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.Â
- 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.Â
- 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.