Friday, January 15, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Saturday’s A-Sun/CSS feature spotlights a play for Peach State priority as Mercer hosts Kennesaw State from the University Center at noon on Saturday. The game airs on A-Sun.TV and CSS.

The Lady Owls enter the weekend after falling to ETSU, 90-59, on Thursday, Jan. 7 and pulling away with the victory against Campbell, 75-65, on Saturday. In the win against the Lady Camels, the Lady Owls shot a season-best 48.8 percent (28-of-58) from the field. Sophomore guard Angie Smith led the Lady Owls with 15 points as Kennesaw State won for the first time since Dec. 5. Also for Kennesaw State, freshman guard Ashley Holliday collected 12 points, while DeAndrea Bullock finished 5-of-5 from the field and added another dozen points. The trio of freshman guard Brandi Jones, senior guard Gia Lockett and freshman forward Sametria Gideon all scored nine points for the Lady Owls, with Gideon grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Bears also split with the Lady Camels and the Lady Bucs, posting a 64-52 win against Campbell on Thursday, Jan. 7 and a 81-60 loss to ETSU on Saturday, before traveling to Spartanburg, S.C. and posting a 57-53 victory at USC upstate on Thursday. Senior guards Courtney Ford and LaToya Jackson combined for 37 points against the Spartans, while junior center Kourtney Carter contributed a double-double from 12 points and a career-best 12 rebounds.

Saturday’s contest at Mercer marks the second time that Kennesaw State and Mercer has sparred as part of the A-Sun/CSS package. The two met almost 12 months ago, on Jan. 28, 2009, also at the University Center where after playing to a 25-25 stalemate in the opening 20 minutes, the Bears used a 41-point second half to surge past the Lady Owls, finally outscoring their visitors by a 20-10 margin in the last six minutes in claiming a 66-56 victory. Jackson scored 15 points and finished 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Mercer held Kennesaw State to just 32.3 percent shooting from the field and a frigid 14.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (3-for-21).

Ford paces the Bears, as Orange, Calif. native averages 18.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.44 assists and 3.25 steals per contest, good enough to rank in the top five in all four categories. Fellow senior Jackson raised her scoring average to 13.7 points per game after notching 18 at USC Upstate. The communications major has led Mercer in scoring five times in 2009-10. For the Lady Owls, Smith paces the team in both scoring, 12.4 points per game, and in assists, 3.0 per game. Lockett tallies 11.6 points per game, ranks second to Ford in the league in steals with 2.93 per game, and stands at near perfection from the free-throw line at 44-of-52. Kennesaw State leads the series, 5-3.

Paul Crane and Dee Romine will be on the call. Cox cable subscribers can catch the game on tape delay, airing on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. in central Florida, For those outside these markets, catch all the action on ASun.TV.