Mercer Women to Face FGCU in Weekend Finale

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – The Mercer women’s basketball team will look to get back on track Saturday afternoon, welcoming defending A-Sun Champion FGCU to town for a conference showdown inside Hawkins Arena.

Gameday Lineup

Date: Sat. Jan. 18 | 3 p.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (9-7, 2-3 A-Sun) vs. FGCU (10-6, 4-0 A-Sun)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena (3,200)
Video: A-Sun.TV
Talent: Chandler Lee (play-by-play), Todd Wilson (Analyst)
Live Stats: MercerBears.com
Twitter: @MercerWBB

Story Lines

FGCU has dominated the all-time series with Mercer, winning all 12 matchups, including each of its six trips to Hawkins Arena. The Eagles have posted a record of 104-12 in six seasons in the A-Sun and have not lost a conference contest in three years, posting 40 consecutive league wins during that stretch.

Mercer’s 30-for-55 (54-percent) shooting performance from the field last Saturday against Lipscomb marked a season-high for the Bears in the team’s first conference road victory of the year. It was the first time Mercer shot over 50-percent from the field in a game all year, topping a 47-percent outing in a victory over North Florida to open league play.

Alicia Williams’ game-high 18 pointsThursday night tied her season-high and marked the first time all year she led Mercer in scoring. She finished 8-for-18 from the field and pulled down four rebounds in the loss to Stetson. Williams is averaging 10.7 points per game and has scored in double figures 10 times this season.

Mercer’s 1.1 assist/turnover ratio is the best in the conference with 202 total assists to just 186 turnovers.

Mercer has won 15 of its last 21 conference games dating back to last year, including a 12-game A-Sun winning streak during this span.

Last Time Out

The Mercer women’s basketball team Saw Stetson place five players in double figures and use a late run to knock off the Bears 72-60 Thursday evening at Hawkins Arena in Atlantic Sun Conference action.

Mercer (9-7, 2-3 A-Sun) drops its eighth-straight game against Stetson in the all-time series, while the Hatters (11-5, 3-1 A-Sun) continue to roll, winning their sixth game in seven tries, including their third consecutive conference victory. (Complete Story)

Scouting FGCU

FGCU (10-6, 4-0) is rolling once again in A-Sun play and has extended its conference winning streak to 40 games over the last three seasons. Only Baylor holds a longer streak at 46-straight conference wins in the Big 12.

The Eagles cruised past Kennesaw StateThursday evening, posting a 14-point win behind DyTiesha Dunson’s game-high 17 points. The win over KSU marked the third-consecutive contest FGCU saw four double-digit scorers.

Averaging 9.3 three-pointers made per game, FGCU is shooting 33-percent from long range and ranks No. 9 in the country in three-pointers made per contest. Whitney Knight leads the attack from behind the arc with 36 three-pointers on 97 attempts.