Mercer Game Information
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Western Carolina Game Information
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CHARLESTON, S.C. –The Citadel men's basketball team will close out the regular season this weekend with a pair of games, including the home finale on Friday, Feb. 23 against Mercer at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs will then travel to Cullowhee, North Carolina for the regular-season finale at Western Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.

Heading into Friday's game, Mercer controls the all-time series over the Bulldogs by a mark of 15-5 dating back to the 1924-25 season. The Citadel's 76-74 win in Macon, Georgia back on Jan. 27 broke a 13-game winning streak in the series by the Bears and marked the first win in the series for the Bulldogs since the 1926-27 campaign. The Bears and Bulldogs have met in Charleston as SoCon rivals just four times with the Bears winning all four games. The last Citadel win in Charleston in the series came back on March 5, 1927 in the championships game of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) Tournament when the Bulldogs won 42-41. The last regular-season victory for The Citadel in Charleston came a few weeks earlier on Feb. 12, 1927, a 38-33 win.

After The Citadel defeated Mercer 76-74 on Saturday, Jan. 27, the Bears dropped their next game 85-73 to Furman at home. Since those two losses, the Bears have been one of the hottest teams in the SoCon, winning six games in a row heading into Friday's game. Mercer is 16-13 overall and 9-7 in the Southern Conference, sitting fifth in the current conference standings.

For the season, Mercer is averaging 76.2 points per game while holding their opponents to 68.7 points per contest. In SoCon games, the Bears' scoring has risen in recent weeks, going from 67.6 points per game when these two teams last met to 72.4 points per game entering Friday's contest. In SoCon play, the Bears are holding their opposition to just 68.9 points per game, fourth-best in the league. The Bears have connected on 47.8% of their attempts from the field while their foes have converted 43.1% of their attempts. The Bears average 8.7 3-pointers per game and have been giving up 9.2 treys per outing. Under the basket Mercer is averaging 34.6 rebounds per contest while their foes have only brought down 29 boards per outing.

The Bears have been led this season by five players averaging eight points per game or higher. Ria'n Holland was averaging 19.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 3-pointers per game, but has not seen action on the court since January 18 at VMI. Since then, Demetre Rivers and Jordan Strawberry have led the way, averaging 10.9 and 10.3 points per game for the year. Stephon Jelks and Desmond Ringer are the next two highest scorers, averaging 9.8 and 9.2 points per game, respectively, and Ross Cummings chips in 8.3 points per game. Of the five leading scorers, Ringer leads the way with a 61.2% shooting percentage while Jelks and Rivers are both also shooting over 50% for the season at 53.5% for Jelks and 51.5% for Rivers. With Holland out, Cummings, Strawberry, Jelks and Rivers have all picked up the slack from beyond the arc. Cummings, who is shooting 45.2% from 3-point range, has 47 treys on the year with Strawberry close behind with 41. Jelks is shooting 45.9% from long range. Under the hoop, Jelks has brought down a team-high 7.3 boards per game with Ringer adding in 5.1 rebounds per contest and Strawberry leads the team with 136 assists on the season. Strawberry, Jelks and Ringer have started all 29 games this season for Mercer with Rivers having started 28 games. Since Holland has been out, Cummings, Ethan Stair and Marcus Cohen have split time in the Bears' starting five.

Heading into Sunday's game at Western Carolina, The Citadel and WCU have met 73 times with the Bulldogs holding a slight 37-36 advantage over the Catamounts in the series that dates back to the 1977-78 season. WCU holds a 20-15 advantage in Cullowhee, but the Bulldogs are 1-1 there under Duggar Baucom. The Bulldogs last won 92-91 in Cullowhee on Jan. 21, 2016, breaking a three-game winning streak by the Catamounts in Cullowhee and an eight-game winning streak overall in the series.

Western Carolina enters the weekend with a 12-17 overall record and a 7-9 league mark. The Catamounts are currently riding a four-game losing skid and play at Furman on Friday, Feb. 23. Western Carolina is 7-4 at home.

The Catamounts are currently scoring 67.9 points per game, second-lowest in the Southern Conference. In comparison, WCU's opponents are scoring 74.8 points per game. The Catamounts are shooting 41.1% from the field, but their foes are currently shooting at a .459 clip. From 3-point range, Western Carolina is hitting on 33.7% of their attempts while averaging 7.3 treys per game and their opponents are shooting 35.6% from long range, converting an average of 8.5 3-pointers per game. Western Carolina averages 34 rebounds per game compared to 37.1 per contest by their foes.

Three players lead the way with at least 9.0 points per game highlighted by Mike Amius' 12.5 points per contest. Amius also leads the team by connecting on 54.7% of his attempts from the field, all inside the 3-point arc, and he is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per outing and leads the squad with 25 blocks on the season. Deriece Parks is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game and he is playing a team-best 30.3 minutes per contest. Parks and Matt Halvorsen lead the team in 3-point shooting as Parks has 61 treys on the year while Halvorsen has chipped in 57 at a .345 clip. Halvorsen is third on the team with 9.0 points per game while Marc Gosselin has averaged 8.6 points per outing. Gosselin leads the team under the net with 6.3 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 17 blocked shots. Devin Peterson and Parks lead the team in assists with 80 and 78. Amius and Gosselin have each started 28 games while Parks has started 26. Behind them Halvorsen has 16 starts, Peterson 15 and Desmond Johnson 14. Amius and Halvorsen are the only two players to play in every game this season for the Catamounts.

UP NEXT: With the regular season coming to a close on Sunday, the Bulldogs will turn their attention to the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship in Asheville, North Carolina. The tournament runs March 1-5 at the U.S. Cellular Center. Seedings will be announced following Sunday's games.

2018 SOCON BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets are now on sale for the 2018 SoCon Basketabll Championships held at the U.S. Cellular Center located in Asheville, North Carolina March 1-5, 2018. Ticket prices start at $20 for general admission to a single session. For more information or to order your tickets, call The Citadel ticket office at (843) 953-DOGS (3647) or visit CitadelSports.com and click on the "Tickets" tab.

For more information on The Citadel basketball team, follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports or visit CitadelSports.com.