Tuesday, November 25, 2008

MACON, Ga. - One week after leading his team to an upset of Alabama, Mercer’s James Florence headed up an upset of the Crimson Tide’s arch rival, Auburn, and brought the Bears to the brink of a win against Georgia Tech to win his second Player of the Week award in as many weeks, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

The junior from Marietta, Ga., scored a game-high 25 points in helping lead Mercer past Auburn last Wednesday in the opening round of the Chicago Invitational Challenge as the Bears collected their second win on the road past an SEC opponent in a four-day span. The business major drained a clutch 3-pointer from deep in the left corner, giving the Bears a five-point lead with 2:29 on the clock. He followed up with a team-best 26 points and game-high four assists against the Yellow Jackets as the Bears nearly pulled off their third straight upset in less than a week. He nailed three straight 3-point field goals to boost Mercer to an 11-point first-half advantage and his steal and assist midway through the second half ignited an 18-0 run by the Bears

Through the opening two weeks of play, Florence has averaged a league-high 23.3 points per game, leading the Bears in the category in all four games. Florence, Campbell’s Jonathan Rodriguez and USC Upstate’s Bobby Davis are the only three players in the A-Sun to have led their respective teams in scoring in every game thus far. Florence clicked past seven more former Bears and now has totaled the 17th-most points in program history with 1,163 points. With 37 points, he would become just the 16th player in Mercer history, and the 66th player in the A-Sun to reach 1,200 points.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Jonathan Rodriguez, Campbell (Jr. - F - Miami - Sport Management) -- Rodriguez extended his school-record streak to 42 games in which he has scored in double figures with Monday night's 23-point, 14-rebound effort vs. VMI (which was his 30th double-double of his career). J-Rod also had 19 points and 8 boards in a 94-57 win over UNC Asheville.