Tuesday, December 01, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Mercer welcomes preseason conference favorite Lipscomb to the University Center at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday for the Atlantic Sun Game of the Week. 

Two of the league’s preseason favorites meet on the floor of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships when Mercer hosts Lipscomb in the conference opener for both teams. The media picked Lipscomb second in the A-Sun Preseason Poll while the coached pegged the Bisons to tie for the conference crown with Jacksonville.

The matchup features the league’s top two scorers in Mercer’s James Florence (22.8 ppg) and Lipscomb’s Adnan Hodzic (21.8 ppg). Hodzic will square off with Daniel Emerson in the paint in a meeting of two of the league’s top big men. Emerson averages a double-double and ranks tied for third in the nation in rebounding at 12.8 per game. In addition to his scoring, Hodzic connects on 61.5 percent of his shots and pulls down 8.0 rebounds per contest. Fellow Lipscomb juniors Josh Slater (16.0 ppg) and Brandon Brown (14.2 ppg) have increased their scoring by at least 5.0 ppg from last season. Catch all the action on ASun.TV.

Lipscomb picked up its first win in a 67-64 victory at SIU Edwardsville on Saturday. With the win, the Bisons have avoided the potential for a five game losing streak which would have been the longest to start a season since 1963 when Lipscomb lost 12 games before picking up its first win. The Bisons have started games slowly this season having yet to take a lead into halftime. Lipscomb has held a rebounding advantage in each game this year despite facing tough road matches at Ohio State and at Vanderbilt.

Mercer’s Florence scored a career high 40 points against Georgia Tech on Friday. The effort placed Florence only 113 points away from becoming Mercer’s all-time scoring leader. Mercer outrebounded both of their Atlantic Coast Conference opponents this season. Mercer bested Florida State (48-44) at home and Georgia Tech (39-35) on the road despite its’ tallest player in senior Emerson at 6-8. Senior EJ Kunsyer has hit four or more three-pointers in four of six games this season.

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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.