Georgia Southern (0-1) at Mercer (2-0)

Friday, Nov. 20 – Hawkins Arena (3,200) – 7:00 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats 
Audio: 91.9 FM the Buzz, GS All-Access (Colin Lacy, play-by-play)

Series: Mercer leads 32-30
Last meeting: 12/6/14, L, 4-61

Probable Starters for Georgia Southern:
#2 Trellanie English-Lurry, G
#5 Alexis Foulks, G/F
#14 Briana Jones, F/C
#20 Sierra Kirkland, F
#23 Alexis Sams, G

Georgia Southern Information:
[Roster] [Schedule] [Stats] [@GSAthletics_WBB] [Game Notes (PDF)]

Mercer Information:
[Stats] [Roster] [Schedule]

QUICK HITTERS
• In the season-opener against Lipscomb, six players set or tied 19 personal career marks.
• Senior Sierra Kirkland moved into 20th place all-time in program history Sunday as she recorded 3 blocks to give her 29 for her career. She is now just 4 away from 19th all-time.
• Speaking of career milestones, Kirkland is also 49 rebounds and 21 games played away from 20th all-time in those two categories.
• Entering the season, senior Briana Jones was 16th all-time with 39 career blocks. With two in Sunday's season opener, she has tied Shawnda Atwood for 15th with 41 career blocked shots.
• Guards Angel McGowan and Alexis Sams are just 81 and 98 assists away respectively for 20th all-time in program history for the category. McGowan is also just 44 steals away from 20th in the category.

THE MATCHUP
• Georgia Southern is meeting Mercer on the hardwood in women's basketball for the 63rd time.
• The 62 meetings between the two programs is the most for the GSU women's basketball program. The next most meetings are 55 games against Chattanooga, 54 against Appalachian State, 53 against Furman and 52 against Western Carolina.
• Mercer leads the all-time series 32-30 since the first meeting during the 1973-74 season.
• Last season, Mercer won 84-61 in Statesboro.
• In the last 5 meetings between the two, Georgia Southern holds the edge with a record of 3-2 and holds a 7-3 lead over the Bears in the last 10 meetings.
• The last time the two met in Macon, GSU won 61-54 on 12/4/13. In fact, the two have won on each other's court in the last four meetings.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Georgia Southern women's basketball team opened the season and the Kip Drown era Sunday at home against Lipscomb. Despite a furious second half effort that saw the Eagle women close the gap to within a single point in the third quarter, Lipscomb proved to be just too much for the young squad as they ultimately defeated the Eagles 66-55.
• Despite facing a double-digit deficit for much of the game, the Eagles played to the final buzzer as displayed when sophomore Abby Hix hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to set the final score at 66-55. Redshirt junior guard Alexis Sams finished the game with a team-high 15 points that included a game-high five three-pointers in 38 minutes of work.
• Patrice Butler came off the bench to score eight points and corralled in a game-high seven boards, three off the offensive glass and four on the defensive side of the ball, while Trellanie English-Lurry finished the 40-minute period with seven points and six assists.
• For the Bison, Ashley Southern followed up a double-double effort in Lipscomb's season-opener on Friday with a game-high 23 points and six rebounds. Southern ended the game 10-16 from the floor.

NEXT UP
After the trip to Macon, the Eagles will play two more road games to end November and start December. First, the Eagles will travel up to Athens to take on the Lady Bulldogs of Georgia in a 7 p.m. matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Following the tilt in Athens, GSU has a week off before heading down to Savannah to take on the Tigers of Savannah State on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

FACING THE BEST
• The Eagle women will start the season off with nine out of conference games including marquee games against three teams that played in post-season tournaments. Those opponents include the Mercer Bears which went 20-15 and made an appearance in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) Tournament, Savannah State which went 21-11 with an appearance in the NCAA Women's Basketball Division I Tournament, and Stetson which went 23-8 with a trip to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
• Other marquee out of conference games include a trip to Athens to face the Lady Bulldogs and home contests against Robert Morris and Charleston Southern. The Eagles will also face off against Jacksonville State at home and Bethune-Cookman in DeLand, Fla. after opening the season at home against Lipscomb for the second straight year this coming Sunday.

SEASON TICKETS
• Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at GSEagles.com/tickets. Season ticket options are available for both general admission and reserved seating. Fans can enjoy chair-back seats in the reserved sections for $90 a season ticket for either men's or women's basketball. Alternatively, general admission season tickets are $65 and are located behind the baskets on bleachers. A combo package is also available for $120 and includes both men's and women's basketball contests.


Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channelsfacebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.