Saturday, February 27, 2010

MACON, Ga. - The final A-Sun/CSS Game of the Week features Lipscomb hosting Mercer at 5:00 p.m. CT. Lipscomb could be playing for a share of the regular-season title, if Jacksonville loses to ETSU.

The Bears enter short-handed as Daniel Emerson will miss the game after taking an elbow to the eye late in the Bears' loss to Belmont on Thursday. James Florence remains questionable as well. Mercer's leading scorer has missed two of the last three games because of a sprained ankle, suffered against ETSU.

While Mercer has secured the sixth seed in next week's General Shale Atlantic Sun Championships, Lipscomb could finish anywhere from the top spot to the fourth position. A win guarantees the Bisons a top-two seed and a Wednesday quarterfinal date with either Kennesaw State or UNF. Only once in five previous trips to the A-Sun Championships has Lipscomb earned one of the top two seeds - in 2006 the Bisons entered as the No. 1 seed.

Saturday represents a final chance for a pair of Bisons, Adnan Hodzic and Josh Slater to improve of their respective All-Conference candidacies. Hodzic has scored in double figures in every game this year, and carries a 55-game streak dating back to December 2008. He comes off a 24-point, 20-rebound performance against Kennesaw State, the first 20-20 game in the league in more than five years. Slater ranks as one of four players in the nation averaging at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.

The two opened conference play back in December at the University Center. Lipscomb's Jordan Burgason connected on eight 3-point field goals and the Bisons scored 60 points in the second half and rallied to beat the Bears, 98-89.

Matt Stewart and Sonny Smith will be on the call. For those outside the CSS markets, catch all the action on ASun.TV, ESPN360.com or on ESPN Full Court. In middle Georgia, the game airs live on CST. In central Florida markets, the game airs on the Bright House Sports Network on tape delay at noon on Monday.