NEXT GAME
MON 12/16
vs. Mercer (7PM)

CURRENT D1 RECORD 2-6
CURRENT PLACE IN STANDINGS

VIDEO STREAM
FloHoops
http://www.flosports.tv/caa

AUDIO FEED
95.9 FM The Breeze & WKXB 99.9 FM HD2
http://v6.player.abacast.net/6995

OPPONENTS AUDIO FEED
WNEX 100.9 FM The Creek
TuneIn App - http://tun.in/seoNF

LIVE STATS
http://UNCWstats.com



Mercer Bears
Record vs. D-I: 3-6
RPI: # 327

The Seahawks have a long wait until their final non-conference home game next Monday as they face the hapless Mercer Bears, losers of 4 straight games and 5 of their last 6. The Seahawks have slugged through a disappointing non-conference and need to come away with something positive in their final 2 tune-ups leading into CAA play.

Mercer's most recent victory, on Nov 23, was their most impressive, defeating UIC (3-6 vs D-I) in a true road contest, 72-68. Their other 2 wins have come against Kennesaw State and FGCU, whose combined record is 1-18 against D-I. They also managed to hang close with a tough Saint Bonaventure squad, losing 56-51 on Tuesday. Everything has trended negative as the calendar turned to December, including a neutral court loss to Holy Cross, 81-67, which is still the Crusaders' only win against D-I competition to this point.

At least on paper, there has been one bright spot for the Bears under first year coach Greg Gary, who spent the previous 8 seasons as an assistant at Purdue. Redshirt senior shooting guard Ethan Stair leads the team and is # 54 in the nation in scoring, at 19.0 ppg. He is shooting .409 (27-66) from 3 and also leads the team in rebounding, at 9.7 rpg. The Bears have relied heavily on the 5th-year senior, who is averaging a robust 37.0 mpg.

Joining Stair in the backcourt is 6-2 senior point guard Djordje Dimitrijevic. The Serbian is 2nd on the team in scoring (15.0 ppg), first in Assists (3.3 apg), first in steals (1.8 spg) and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg). However, he's also turned the ball over at a team-leading rate (2.7 to/g).

The rest of the Bears' lineup has been suspect, especially with senior guard Ross Cummings on the shelf with an injury, with no update on his return. Cummings was the leading scorer for the Bears in 2018-19, and had averaged 11.7 ppg in the 3 contests he appeared in. With Cummings out, a true 3rd scoring option hasn't yet emerged. The best bet to grow into that role is 6-6 freshman forward James Glisson III, who was thrust into the starting role with Cummings out. He's performed admirably, with 8.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and a .528 FG % in the post.

Rounding out the starting 5 are 6-3 sophomore guard Daniel Love and 6-11 redshirt junior forward/center Maciej Bender. Love has 6 starts and 19.3 minutes per contest to his credit, though he hasn't been a big offensive factor thus far (5.4 ppg, 2.3 apg, 3.5 rpg). Bender, a transfer from West Virginia, is averaging 6.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg in his 15.0 minutes of action per contest.

Off the bench, the 6th man has been 6-6 redshirt freshman forward Patrick Urey. The Baylor transfer has averaged 18.5 minutes per game but only 1.9 ppg and 2.7 rpg. 5 other players have averaged over 10 mpg as Coach Gary looks to find the right combinations and rotations. Familiar face Jeff Gary, UNCW transfer and nephew of the Mercer head coach, will be eligible to play in 2020-21.

Despite playing a fairly weak non-conference schedule, Mercer has allowed 76.7 points per game, which ranks # 315 out of 350 D-I schools nationally. The Bears also average 14.8 turnovers per contest and have had 37 shots blocked compared to 21 that they've turned aside on defense. The only positive has been rebounding, where the Bears have outrebounded opponents 37.0 to 32.4.