Mercer Women’s Basketball Takes Aim at FGCU Thursday on ESPN3

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – After winning two of three on its recent three-game homestand, the Mercer women’s basketball team plays the first of two-straight road games Thursday evening, taking on FGCU at Alico Arena in Atlantic Sun Conference action.

Gameday Lineup

Date: Thu. Feb. 13 | 7:05 p.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (12-10, 5-6 A-Sun) vs. FGCU (16-7, 10-1 A-Sun)
Location: Fort Myers, Fla. | Alico Arena (4,633)
Video: ESPN3 | WatchESPN App
Talent: David Moulton (Play-by-play), J. Webb Horton (Analyst)
Live Stats: FGCUAthletics.com
Twitter: @MercerWBB

Story Lines

The Eagles have dominated the all-time series with Mercer, winning all 13 meetings, including a 69-57 victory in Hawkins Arena earlier this season. FGCU has posted a record of 110-13 in six seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference and has only lost one league game in the last three years.

Briana Williams was sensational in Mercer’s recent three-game homestand, averaging 20 points per game, including a season-high 24 points against Kennesaw State on Feb. 1. The two-time A-Sun scoring champion is suddenly back to scoring in bunches as she ranks No. 10 in Mercer history with 1,318 points.

Saturday’s victory against Lipscomb broke a string of eight-straight games Sharnea Boykin has played all 40 minutes in the contest. She logged 39 minutes against the Bisons and leads the conference in minutes played per game at 37.6.

Teanna Robinson ranks No. 2 in the country in blocks per game at 3.9, swatting 86 shots on the year.

Mercer’s 1.1 assist/turnover ratio is the best in the conference with 308 total assists to just 271 turnovers.

Sharnea Boykin has dished out 10+ assists in a game 11 times in her career to lead all active A-Sun players. Boykin is currently No. 6 in the A-Sun record books in career assists and needs just 18 assists to jump to fifth-place.

Last Time Out

The Mercer women’s basketball team ended its season-long three-game homestand on a high note as junior Teanna Robinson’s near triple-double effort lifted the Bears to a 76-71 win over Lipscomb on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.

Scouting FGCU

FGCU (16-7, 10-1) is coming off back-to-back road wins at ETSU and USC Upstate and sits atop the A-Sun standings with Stetson.

The Eagles had a nation-leading 44-game conference winning streak until Feb. 1 when FGCU dropped a 63-43 decision on the road at Northern Kentucky. The defeat marked the first loss for the Eagles since Feb. 28, 2011 and the team’s largest margin of defeat since joining the A-Sun in 2007.

FGCU leads the league in scoring defense, allowing just 61.0 points per game, and ranks No. 2 in scoring margin at +5.4. The Eagles have a distinct advantage on Mercer from behind the arc, having made 180 more three-pointers, including 13 treys when the two teams met earlier this season.