Mercer Women’s Basketball Opens 2013-14 Season Against Western Carolina

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE)– The Mercer women’s basketball kicks off its 2013-14 regular season on November 8 when it welcomes Western Carolina into town for a 5 p.m. tip-off at Hawkins Arena.

All fans who attend Friday night’s game will receive a free 2013-14 Mercer women’s basketball poster with a chance to have it autographed by the team on the court in a postgame signing party.

Mercer returns four starters back from last year’s team that posted a 20-12 overall record and earned a spot in the Women’s Basketball Invitational for its first appearance in a nationally sponsored postseason tournament since 1985.

Among the starters back in the fold for the 2013-14 campaign are 2012-13 Atlantic Sun All-Conference first team selections Precious Bridges and Kendra Grant. Bridges led the A-Sun Conference in scoring by averaging 16.8 points per game while Grant ranked seventh in the league averaging 13.0 points per contest.

Also making her return from injury this season is junior guard Briana Williams. The last time the Mercer faithful saw Williams, she led the A-Sun Conference in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game, on her way to being named an A-Sun All-Conference second team selection.

Scouting the Opposition

Western Carolina went 7-23 overall last season and is back under the direction of fifth-year head coach Karen Middleton to open the 2013-14 campaign. The Catamounts were picked to finish ninth in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches’ poll, but return five seniors and 80 percent of its offense back from last year’s club. WCU is led by sophomore guard Lindsay Simpson, who was named to the SoCon All-Freshmen team after pacing the squad with 7.8 points per game and 35 three-pointers.

Last Time Out

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – Junior Briana Williams was one of five players in double figures for the Mercer women’s basketball team, scoring a game-high 28 points, to lead the Bears to a 108-61 exhibition win over Northwood on Thursday evening at Hawkins Arena.

Briana Williams shot 10-of-15 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and added seven assists in her first game action since Feb. 25, 2012.

Briana Williams was joined in double-figures by junior Precious Bridges (20 points), junior Alicia Williams (17 points), senior Kendra Grant (15 points) and freshman Taylor McClintock (11 points).

Senior point guard Sharnea Boykin picked up right where she left off last season, piling up 16 assists in the win which would’ve been a new career-high for the Atlanta, Ga. native had Thursday night’s contest been a regular season affair.

Game Notes

– Mercer was picked to finish third in the 2013-14 A-Sun Conference Preseason Coaches’ poll while senior Kendra Grant joined juniors Precious Bridges and Briana Williams who were all voted onto the A-Sun Preseason All-Conference team.

– Mercer is 4-0 all-time against Western Carolina with the Bears winning the last meeting between the two schools 76-70 in Macon back in 1999.

– Junior guard Briana Williams has 1,029 career points which is currently tied for the 19th-most in Mercer program history and the 92nd-most in A-Sun Conference history.