Tuesday, February 10, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Facing a grueling schedule of three games in five days, Mercer’s James Florence carried the Bears to wins in all three, highlighted by a buzzer-beating layup against Jacksonville on Saturday. He earned his third Player of the Week award of the season, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

Florence averaged 22.3 points for the week as the Bears moved up to fourth in the A-Sun standings. He scored a team-high 20 points on the road at Kennesaw State, then despite missing nearly nine minutes of the second half after suffering a cut on his left hand, the junior guard banked in a driving shot from the right side of the lane with 1.3 seconds on the clock to lift the Bears past league co-leaders Jacksonville, 72-71, on Saturday. Moments earlier Florence hit a driving layup while drawing a foul on Jacksonville’s Lehmon Colbert, his fifth. He finished with 21 points and four assists in the upset of the Dolphins.

Playing with the injury, Florence logged 37 minutes versus UNF, leading all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Marietta, Ga., native has moved into the top spot on Mercer’s all-time made 3-pointers list with 164 career treys and currently stands in eighth place on Mercer’s all-time scoring list with 1,539 career points. In reaching the 1,500-point mark, he became the first Bear to do in three years.

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

Eni Cuka, UNF (Jr. - G - Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Sociology) -- Eni Cuka averaged 21.5 points in two outings last week ... he began the week on the road with a 20-point performance against Kennesaw State in which he tied a career-high with four 3-pointers ... he followed that up with 23 points at Mercer to lead the Ospreys in that contest ... Cuka also averaged three rebounds a game and had a pair of steals.

Bobby Davis, USC Upstate (Sr. - F - Aiken, S.C. - Business Management) -- Averaged a double-double for the week in leading Upstate to a sweep of Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast and extending its winning streak to a DI-best three games. Played with flu-like symptoms in the win over Florida Gulf Coast, but still finished with a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two assists. Took just five shots in the game due to his illness. Had a monster game in the thrilling win over Stetson Saturday. Finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and and a career-high four blocked shots in taking over the game. He finished with his ninth and 10th double-doubles of the season last week.

Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb (So. - C - Saravejo, Bosnia - Undeclared) -- Scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds in Lipscomb’s 83-67 road win against Campbell Monday evening. Hodzic shot 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the field on the way to his fourth double-double of the season. It was his 10th career 20-point game - the most for a sophomore in the A-Sun. Hodzic is averaging 16.5 points per game on the year and 17.5 points in A-Sun games for third in the conference. He is shooting 60.3 percent from the field for 2nd in the A-Sun and 16th in nation.

Kelvin McConnell, Kennesaw State (So. - G - Smyrna, Ga. - Undeclared) -- McConnell had a solid week for the Owls as he scored in double figures in all three KSU games. The sophomore guard also provided heroics for the Owls as he hit a game-tying three-pointer with one second remaining forcing overtime as the Owls beat North Florida on Saturday evening. The sophomore averaged 13.7 ppg and 2.7 assists and scored 18 points against UNF.

Alex Renfroe, Belmont (Sr. - G - Hermitage, Tenn. - Exercise Science) -- The 6-2 point guard had 24 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds in Belmont's 87-84 victory over Campbell Feb. 6. Renfroe took a lead role in the Bruins' remarkable comeback from 18 points down with 3:27 to go. The Hermitage, Tenn. native had 11 points and four assists during Belmont's 30-9 run to end the game. Renfroe is one of two players in the country to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and field goal percentage. He is among the Atlantic Sun leaders in nine statistical categories.