MACON, Ga. – Mercer's men's basketball team brings a seven-game winning streak into its regular season finale, as the Bears square off against the Wofford Terriers Sunday, Feb. 25 in Spartanburg, S.C. Tipoff time at Richardson Indoor Stadium is 2 p.m. (ET).

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Date: Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 | 2 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (17-13, 10-7 SoCon) vs. Wofford (20-10, 11-6 SoCon)
Location: Spartanburg, S.C. | Richardson Indoor Stadium
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/LiveStats
TV: ESPN3
Radio: 97.3 FM, 103.3 FM, iHeart Radio and Sports Mic – Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
 
SERIES HISTORY
• Overall: Wofford 24-20
• Current Streak: W1
• Last Meeting: W, 73-65 (2/3/18 at Macon)
 
BEAR NECESSITIES
About The Terriers
Wofford heads into Sunday's contest fresh of an impressive 75-71 road win at East Tennessee State Friday night. The Terriers are 20-10 overall and 11-6 in the Southern Conference. It will be Senior Day on the Wofford campus, as the Terriers will recognize senior guard Derrick Brooks among others in the team's final regular season home appearance … Wofford ranks at the top or near the top in multiple SoCon statistical categories including free throw % (1^st/77.9%); 3-pt. fg% (1^st/41.9%); and field goal% (2^nd/47.4%) … Wofford is led by SoCon Player of the Year Candidate Fletcher Magee, who leads the league in scoring (22.0), which ranks 9^th in the nation. Magee leads the NCAA in the number of three pointers made (130) and is 2^nd nationally in three pointers made per outing (4.48). Additionally, the sharpshooter is the most accurate free throw shooter in the SoCon (90.8%), which ranks 9^th in the country … Cameron Jackson is the club's 2^nd leading scorer (11.3) and tops the team in rebounding (5.9) and blocked shots (49), which is the 2^nd best total in the conference. Jackson also ranks 2^nd in the league in steals (1.8) … Trevor Stumpe (11.1) and Nathan Hoover (10.5) are also scoring in double figures for the Terriers.
 
Series History
Wofford leads the series 24-20. In SoCon games only, the Terriers have won five of the seven meetings. Mercer snapped a four-game losing streak on Feb. 3 when the Bears knocked off the Terriers 73-65 at Hawkins Arena. That win started Mercer's current seven-game winning streak. In that contest, Mercer's Ross Cummings scored what was then a career-high 22 points on eight of 10 shooting (including six of eight three pointers) to lead the Bears' offensive attack. Desmond Ringer went for 16 while Demetre Rivers tallied 10. Mercer shot 46.3% from the floor and only committed five turnovers. The Terriers hit just 35.7% of their shots and turned the ball over 11 times. Magee led all scorers with 23 points but was just 2-11 from behind the three point arc … Mike Young is in his 16^th season as Wofford's head coach and has compiled a record of 268-236. Coach Young has led the Terriers to four NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Where the Bears Rank in Southern Conference Statistics
Here's a look at where the Bears' rank near the top of the latest edition of the SoCon men's basketball statistics:
Team Statistics

• 1st in rebounding defense (29.2)
• 1^st in field goal% (47.9%)
• 2^nd in rebounding margin (+5.6)
• 2^nd in 3-pt. field goal% (39.2%)
• 3^rd in free throw% (75.2%)
• 3^rd in field goal% defense (42.9%)
• 4^th in scoring offense (76.5)
• 4th in scoring defense (68.8)

Individual Statistics (player must appear in at least 75% of team's games)

• Stephon Jelks – 1st in defensive rebounds (5.5)
• Stephon Jelks – 2nd in rebounding (7.3)
• Jordan Strawberry – 1st in assist/turnover ratio (3.2)
• Jordan Strawberry – 2nd in free throw% (87.6%)
• Jordan Strawberry – 3rd in assists (4.8)
• Ross Cummings – 3rd in 3-pt.% (44.4%)

Coach Hoffman Wins 500^th Game at Men's Collegiate Level
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman has certainly achieved a great deal of success during his coaching career and he reached a milestone with the Jan. 18 victory over VMI – his 500^th win at the men's collegiate level -  that will only add to his list of superlative accomplishments. Coach Hoffman accumulated 243 wins as the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist from 1990-99; 68 victories while at Texas Pan-American (1999-2004); and he has won 196 games as Mercer's head coach (2008-present) for a current total of 507 victories. Coach Hoffman has led Mercer to unprecedented success during his tenure with the Bears. The two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year has directed Mercer to 18 post-season victories and 10 power conference wins. Twice the Bears have won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership.
 
Senior Trio Joins The 1,000-Point Club
Last month Stephon Jelks became the 39^th player in Mercer men's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000-point career scoring mark. The senior forward from Marietta, Ga., enters Sunday's game with 1,077 career points, which ranks 32^nd in school history. Next in line for Jelks to pass include Tony Bolds (1,085/1982-84); Bob Reeves (1,097/1962-66); and Jerry Thruston (1,099/1975-77) … Earlier this month Mercer senior guard Jordan Strawberry became the 40^th player in Mercer men's basketball history to score 1,000 or more career points. Strawberry enters the Wofford game with 1,115 career points, which ties him with Shaddean Aaron for 27^th on the all-time list. Next in line for Strawberry to pass include Kenny Daugherty (1,118/1977-80); Chris Moore (1,120/1984-87); Jack Scott (1,122/1970-73); and Ledon Green (1,122/1993-96) … In Mercer's Feb. 20 win against Western Carolina, Rivers eclipsed the 1,000-point mark with a 24-point effort vs. the Catamounts. He followed that up with a superb 22-point showing against The Citadel. That gives Rivers 1,032 career points, which currently ranks 36th in school history. Next in line for Rivers to pass include Reggie Elliott (1,034/1994-96); Jim Hearn (1,034/1962-64); and Will Emerson (1,050/2002-06).

Jelks Moves Up Career Rebounding Charts 
Jelks is also climbing up the school's career rebounding charts. He comes into the Wofford game with 817 career rebounds, which currently ranks 3rd on the all-time career rebounding charts. Jelks is only the 3rd player in Mercer men's basketball history to score more than 1,000 points and grab more than 800 rebounds during his career, joining Steve Moody and Scott Emerson on that illustrious list.
  
Strawberry Climbs Up Career Assists List
Strawberry comes into the Wofford game with 473 career assists, which is 3^rd best in school history. Strawberry is one of only three Mercer players to score more than 1,000 points and dish out more than 400 assists in a career. The other two players who have surpassed those two milestones are Langston Hall and James Florence.
 
Ringer Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team
Senior postman Desmond Ringer has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team. This squad annually recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for the combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Ringer, a 6-9 product of McDonough, Ga., was selected to the NCAA Division I District 4 team, which represents universities in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. Ringer has compiled a 3.90 Grade Point Average while majoring in Higher Education. He has started all 30 games for the Bears this season and is averaging 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Ringer is shooting a team-best 60.9% from the field and his 59.8% career field goal mark is best among active SoCon players. He is also hitting 82.9% of his free throw attempts and his play has been instrumental during Mercer's current seven-game winning streak.
 
Bear Tracks

• Mercer won its seventh straight contest Friday night with a hard-fought 83-70 win over The Citadel at McAlister Field House. The Bears currently own the longest winning streak in the SoCon and is the team's longest winning streak since the 2013-14 season, which saw Mercer run off eight consecutive wins in the month of January that season … In the victory over The Citadel, Rivers, who prepped at nearby Stratford High School, scored a game-high 22 points while playing in front of dozens of family members and friends from the Charleston area. In the Senior Night victory over WCU, Rivers equaled his season-high with 24 points, hitting nine of 12 field goals, including three of four from three point land. Rivers went over the 1,000 career scoring mark with his offensive output that evening.
• Strawberry was solid on both ends of the court in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel. The senior guard scored 17 points, dished out a season-high nine assists and committed just one turnover … Strawberry played one of his finest games in his Mercer career in the Feb. 17 home court comeback win over UNCG. In that victory the senior guard connected on eight of 14 field goal attempts and nailed all 11 of his free throws to tally a game-high 27 points … Strawberry comes into the Wofford game with a career free throw shooting percentage of 86.2% (232-269). That ranks 10^th on the SoCon's career list. Strawberry ranks 2nd in the SoCon in free throw shooting for all games played, connecting on 87.6% of his attempts. In conference action only, Strawberry leads the league in free throw shooting (93.7%), having nailed 59-63 attempts … Strawberry continues to rank as the SoCon leader in assist/turnover ratio (3.2), which ranks 1st in the league. Strawberry dished out seven assists in the win over Samford, handed out six assists in the victory at VMI, passed for five assists vs. UNCG and distributed six assists in the home game vs. Furman. Strawberry also handed out seven dimes in the Feb. 12 win over Samford and dealt eight assists in the Feb. 15 triumph over VMI. On Senior Night in the win over WCU, he dished out a game-high eight assists. He recorded a season-high nine assists in the Feb. 23 victory at The Citadel. The senior guard has 145 assists on the season (4.8 per game/3rd in the league) while committing just 45 turnovers … Strawberry scored 22 points vs. The Citadel and went for 18 points in vs. Furman. In the Feb. 3 victory over Wofford, Strawberry dished out a game-high five assists and dealt out eight dimes in a most recent outing vs. UTC … His 18-point, seven-assist, and six-rebound showing in the win over Samford may have been his best all-around performance of the season.
• Jelks leads the SoCon with six double-double performances on the season, including one stretch of four in a row. The senior had put together four straight double-double performances until his streak was snapped – barely snapped – against ETSU. The senior had 10 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the win over UTC. He went for 13 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Samford. In the Jan. 18 triumph over VMI, he tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Against UNCG, Jelks contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Bears' hard-fought 70-66 overtime loss. The senior tallied 14 points and contributed nine rebounds vs. ETSU … Jelks is the team's 4th leading scorer (9.6) and he is the league's 2nd leading rebounder (7.3) … Jelks' 817 career rebounds ranks best among active SoCon players … Jelks has eight games this season of 10 rebounds are more; which is tied with UNCG's James Dickey for the most in the league thus far this season.
• Desmond Ringer is playing the basketball of his career in this his senior season. The senior post man had a double-double of his own vs. UTC (14/10) and equaled his career-high in rebounds with 12 boards vs. Samford. Against VMI, Ringer grabbed 11 rebounds as the Bears dominated the backboards 50-31. Ringer was a perfect 9-9 from the floor with a 21-point showing vs. ETSU … In SoCon games only, Ringer is averaging 6.9 boards per outing, which is 4th in the conference. Against Furman, Ringer equaled his career-high with 22 points on seven of eight shooting from the field and a perfect eight for eight at the free throw line. Ringer turned in an impressive 16-point, six-rebound effort in the home win over Wofford … Des showed up big in the road win at UTC, scoring a team-high 17 points on 8-9 shooting while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. His traditional three-point play with 3:23 remaining gave the Bears a 72-71 lead in what might have been the biggest play of the game … Des was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw stripe in the home victory over VMI and nailed all six of his field goal attempts in the Senior Night victory over WCU … Des pulled down a team-high seven boards in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel … Ringer's career field goal percentage of 59.8% is best among active SoCon performers.
• Demetre Rivers is Mercer's 2nd leading scorer (11.3) and is hitting a team-best 89.9% from the free throw stripe … Rivers has put together back-to-back outings in which he has scored 20 or more points … Rivers poured in a game-high 22 points in the Feb. 23 triumph at The Citadel. He equaled his season-high in points with a sterling 24-point effort in the Senior Night victory over WCU, a point production that sent him over the 1,000-point mark in his career … Rivers also scored 24 points vs. Alabama. In that contest, the senior connected on six of eight field goal attempts, including three of four behind the arc, and nailed nine of 10 free throw attempts. Rivers helped ignite a furious rally for the Bears down the stretch, scoring five points in the closing seconds to almost lead Mercer to the upset win over the Crimson Tide. Rivers tallied 11 points in the victory vs. Kennesaw State and his spectacular shot block that landed up in the stands earned the #2 rating on the Dec. 28 edition of ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Day. Rivers scored 13 clutch points in the win over VMI and went for 11 points vs. UNCG. He tallied some big baskets down the stretch in the win over Wofford, finishing with 10 points, including 2-3 from three point range, and followed that up with a solid 13-point effort in the victory over Chattanooga … Rivers exploded for 21 points in the Feb. 15 win over VMI, hitting seven of eight field goals, including three of four behind the three point arc … Rivers' career 86.0% from the free throw line ranks 4th among active SoCon players.
• Ross Cummings has been on fire over the past nine games and his accurate outside shooting is a big reason the Bears have put together this winning streak. During this nine-game stretch, he is averaging 17.7 points while shooting 49.0% from the field (50-102) and 49.3% from three point range (36-73). Deemed the "Mamba," for raising his ability to another level, Cummings went for a career-high 22 points against Wofford, sinking six of eight three point shots, including three crucial baskets down the stretch. He went for 16 points on 6-12 shooting (4-6 on 3's) in the win over UTC … The "Mamba" scored 13 second half points enroute to a team-high 21-point effort in the Feb. 12 win at Samford … Cummings tallied 13 points in the Feb. 15 victory over VMI … In last Saturday's comeback win over UNCG, Cummings broke his career-high by hitting for 23 points, knocking down seven of 10 field goal attempts, including four of six from behind the three point arc. Cummings totaled 19 points in the Feb. 20 victory over WCU, hitting five of eight three pointers … Cummings went for 14 points in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel … Cummings has started the past eight games in place of the injured Ria'n Holland.
• Freshman Marcus Cohen came off the bench to tally a career-high 16 points in the game vs. ETSU. In that contest, Cohen was 7-12 from the field and also handed out five assists. He came off the bench against Furman and turned in what was then a career-best 14-point performance against the Paladins … In the Feb. 20 victory over WCU Cohen hit for eight points in just 11 minutes of action.
• Jaylen Stowe came off the bench against Furman to tally 10 points, which equaled his career high. He also grabbed a career-best nine rebounds … Stowe had an eight-point scoring effort in the Feb. 15 victory over VMI. He turned in a solid performance in the Feb. 23 win at The Citadel, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
• Mercer received solid play off the bench in its win over UTC, with Cory Kilby scoring five, Ryan Johnson four, and Mac Brydon and Stowe contributing two points apiece … Johnson came off the bench to toss in seven points in just six minutes of action vs. Samford … Kilby scored 11 points coming off the bench in the Feb. 20 win over VMI. Kilby's offensive play was clutch in the Feb. 23 win over The Citadel, as he hit four of six shots to score nine points in 20 minutes of action.
• Mercer has four players hitting 80% or better from the free throw line, including Rivers (89.9%); Strawberry (87.6%); Holland (83.6%); and Ringer (82.9%).

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