November 30, 2011

Bears Open A-Sun Play at Lipscomb Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mercer’s men’s basketball team will open its Atlantic Sun Conference slate beginning Thursday evening with a game at Lipscomb University. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Eastern/7:15 p.m. Central, as the second half of a women’s-men’s doubleheader in the “Music City.”

MU will also face A-Sun pre-season favorite Belmont on the trip on Saturday (Dec. 3).

The Bears (4-2, 0-0 A-Sun) went 2-1 in the Progressive CBE Classic Sub-Regional, which the team hosted in Macon on November 21-23. MU defeated Sam Houston State (60-38), and Niagara (74-55), but lost to South Dakota State (74-61).

MU’s Justin Cecil was named to the CBE’s All-Tournament Team after averaging 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Cecil shot nearly 52% from the field and hit 13-of-20 (65%) from beyond the arc. Cecil tied the CBE single game record with seven three’s made vs. Niagara (11/22/11).

On the year, Cecil and teammate Langston Hall are tied for the team lead in scoring at 10.5 points per game. Sophomore Bud Thomas averages 9.3 p.p.g.

Jakob Gollon tops the Bears’ rebounding at 5.3 caroms per contest, followed closely by Thomas at 5.0 p.p.g. Sophomore Daniel Coursey averages 4.5 rebounds per game, along with a 7.8 p..g. average. Gollon scores at a 7.7 p.p.g. clip, as well.

The game will be carried live on The Peach (WPCH), 96.5 FM. Air time will be at approximately 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central, depending on the finish time for the women’s basketball preliminary game (also between Mercer and Lipscomb). The women’s game can be heard in WPCH’s sister station, Fox Sports 1670-AM beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Central. Both games can also be heard via the internet through MercerBears.com or the sites of each station (www.peach965.com & www.foxsports1670.com).

THE SERIES:

Lipscomb leads the overall series with Mercer by a 12-6 margin.

However, the Bears won the last two meetings - both in Macon - a week apart in 2010-11. MU defeated the Bisons, 68-67, in the A-Sun regular season finale and then toppled LU in the first round of the A-Sun tournament, 73-63.  Prior to that, the Bisons had won four-straight in the series.

SCOUTING LIPSCOMB:

Lipscomb enters the game versus Mercer with a record of 4-3 overall. The Bisons are on a three-game win streak, which includes topping SIU-Edwardsville and Sacred Heart to win the “Mayan Division” of the Cancun Challenge (Nov. 22 & 23) and last Monday’s home court win over Austin Peay.

In just two games played thus far for LU, Jordan Burgason has averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Zavion Williams is at 14.4 points and 3.1 boards per game. Robert Boyd - who was the Mayan Division MVP of the Cancun Challenge - is averaging 12.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and nearly 2.0 steals per contest, as well.

The victory over Sacred Heart gave Scott Sanderson his 200th win at the helm of the Bisons.

In its last time out, Lipscomb had four players in double-digit scoring on its way to a 67-59 win over in-state rival Austin Peay on Monday (Nov. 28) evening in Nashville.

In that game, Justin Glenn notched his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Burgason’s 17 points paced the Bisons. The quartet of double-figure scorers was rounded out by 14 points from Jacob Arnett and 11 points from Robert Boyd.

Damarius Smith had a game-high nine assists for Lipscomb, while Boyd topped all players with seven steals.

GAME NOTES:

- This will be the third-straight season in which Mercer has opened its A-Sun slate with the “early” December games versus Lipscomb & Belmont, and the second-straight year beginning matters in Nashville.

- The Bears have lost five-consecutive games on Lipscomb’s home floor.  MU has not won at Lipscomb since January 10, 2005 when it topped the Bisons, 82-73.  Including games at Belmont, Mercer is currently on a 10-game skid in the “Music City” in A-Sun games and has dropped 11-straight when including a loss at Vanderbilt (12/21/09).

- Mercer found its team and two individual players rated among the NCAA Division I leaders in the first statistical report of the 2011-12 season. The Bears’ team is No. 28 in field goal percentage defense (36.4%) and 36th in three-point field goal defense (26.6%).  In scoring defense, MU is No. 40 with a stingy 58.5 points per game allowed, while the Bears are 47th in rebound margin (grabbing an average of 6.8 rebounds more per contest than their opponents).  Individually, senior Justin Cecil is 10th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 56.7 percent. Cecil is 17-of-30 from beyond the arc. Redshirt sophomore Jakob Gollon is tied for 17th in the nation for free throw percentage, shooting a healthy 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the charity stripe.

- Sophomore point guard Langston Hall is scheduled to make his 40th-consecutive start as a Bear on Thursday (Dec. 1) at Lipscomb.

- Mercer is 4-0 when holding its opponents under 60 points in a game and 3-0 when foes shoot less than 40% from the field. Conversely, in its pair of losses, the Bears’ opponent scored more than 70 points.