Mercer Game Information (Wednesday, Feb. 26 – 7 p.m. – Charleston, S.C. – McAlister Field House)
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Furman Game Information (Saturday, Feb. 29 – 4 p.m. – Greenville, S.C. – Timmons Arena)
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel basketball team will close out the regular season this week with a pair of games, including hosting Mercer for Senior Day on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

The 'Dogs will then travel to Greenville for the regular-season finale at Furman on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 4 p.m.

SENIOR DAY – WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, The Citadel will recognize Connor Kern, Tyson Batiste and Kaelon Harris during the Bulldogs' annual Senior Day festivities prior to tipoff.

THE BULLDOGS ON THE SOCON'S NEXSTAR PACKAGE
Saturday's game at Furman will be the third game this season the Bulldogs will be featured on the Southern Conference's Nexstar package. The game between The Citadel and Furman will be carried by six local television markets in Charleston (WCBD), Roanoke, Virginia (WWCW), Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville (WYCW), Johnson City, Tennessee (WJHL), Greensboro/High Point (WGHP) and Macon (WMUB).

ABEE IN THE NATION
Fletcher Abee enters the week ranked 40th in NCAA Division I for 3-point rield goal percentage (.385). Abee is tied for 45th in the nation with an average of 2.74 made 3-pointers per game, and is tied for 48th in Division I with 74 total made treys.

TYSON NATIONALLY
Batiste heads into the week tied for 33rd in the nation with 148 total assists. Batiste is also tied for 36th in NCAA Division I with an average of 5.5 assists per game.

RICE BEYOND THE ARC NATIONALLY
Kaiden Rice enters this week tied for 20th in NCAA Division I with 220 3-point field goal attempts. Rice is tied for 39th in the nation with 75 made 3-pointers, and the junior guard is also tied for 40th in Division I with an average of 2.81 made 3-pointers per game.

FRESHMEN GETTING THE START
Freshmen Rudy Fitzgibbons, III and Brady Spence each made their first collegiate starts Saturday night at Western Carolina. The Bulldogs started three freshmen Saturday night between Abee, Fitzgibbons and Spence. Four different freshmen Bulldogs have started this season.

PERFECT FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
The 13-of-13 outing at the free throw line at Western Carolina marked the sixth time in program history the Bulldogs went 100% from the charity stripe in a Southern Conference game. The last time was an 18-for-18 outing at home against ETSU on Feb. 26, 2015.

FLETCHER IN THE RECORD BOOK
Abee's 28 points against the Catamounts marked a career high for the freshman, surpassing his previous high of 27 set at home against Piedmont (Dec. 10). He has now scored 335 points, moving him up to seventh in program history for points scored by a freshman. He is 11 points away from a two-way tie for sixth between Warren McLendon (2004-05) and Rodney McKeever (1973-74).

FLETCHER FROM LONG RANGE
With his seven made 3-pointers Saturday night in Cullowhee, Abee improved his season total to 74, jumping up to third in program history for 3-pointers made by a freshman. He is just three away from Preston Parks (2016-17) in second and five away from Austin Dahn (2007-08) in first. Abee's 74 made 3-pointers this season rank 12^th in program history for made 3-pointers in a single season. His seven made 3-pointers are tied for 12^th most in a single game by a Bulldog overall. They are also tied for 10^th for 3-pointers made against an NCAA Division I opponent.

BIG K CLOSING IN
With his 22 points at Western Carolina, Harris has now scored 892 career points. He is tied for 45^th in program history for career points scored.

CLEANING GLASS
On Saturday at Western Carolina, Harris eclipsed the 500-rebound mark with five boards, giving him 504 for his career. Harris boasts 345 career defensive rebounds, a mark that has him 12^th in program history. Harris boasts 137 defensive rebounds this season, 11^th most in program history.

SPENCE SWATTING SHOTS
With his one blocked shot Saturday night at Western Carolina, Spence moved up to tie ninth in program history for blocked shots by a freshman with 20.

THE HISTORY WITH MERCER
Mercer holds a 17-7 overall record against The Citadel, including 7-2 in Charleston. As SoCon foes, Mercer is 8-3 all-time against the Bulldogs. Mercer won the first meeting of the season, 76-71, in Macon on Feb. 1 after The Citadel swept the series last season.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Mercer is currently 15-14 overall with a 9-7 mark in SoCon play. The Bears are 7-6 on the road and have won two straight and three of their last four heading into Wednesday's game. Mercer averages 72.6 points per outing, but their foes average 71.5 points per game. The Bears are currently shooting 45.5% from the field with their opponents having connected on 43.5% of their looks. Mercer averages 7.6 3-pointer per game, while hitting 35.7% of their attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. The Bears' foes have converted 7.4 treys per game, while converting shots from long range at a .323 clip. Mercer is currently out-rebounding opponents by a margin of +3.7 (36.3-32.6).

MERCER INDIVIDUALLY
Mercer is led in scoring by Djordje Dimitrijevic's 17.1 points per game. The senior guard leads the team with 101 assists and is shooting 42.7% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the 3-point arc, including having converted a team-best 63 triples. Behind Dimitrijevic, fellow senior Ethan Stair is close to averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game. Stair, who is the only player to have started all 29 games, shoots 48.2% from the field and is second on the team with 55 made 3-pointers. Redshirt sophomore Jeff Gary is the only other player to average double figures, having scored 11.6 points per game in his 19 games this season. James Glisson III is shooting 51.7% from the field and averages 3.1 boards per game. Maciej Bender is second on the team with 5.2 boards per game to go along with 7.1 points per game. Dimitrijevic has started 27 games, Bender has started 25 games, Daniel Love has started 12 contests, and Kamar Robertson has started 14 games.

THE HISTORY WITH FURMAN
Saturday's game in Greenville will be the 213^th meeting between Furman and The Citadel. Furman holds a 125-87 record over the 'Dogs, including 70-29 in Greenville. Furman has won three straight in the series after the two teams split the series during the 2017-18 campaign. The Bulldogs last won 100-92 in overtime on Feb. 3, 2018.

SCOUTING THE PALADINS
Furman heads into the week with a 23-6 record, including 13-3 in SoCon play and 13-1 at home. The Paladins travel to UNC Greensboro on Wednesday for a crucial game between the two teams tied for second in the league standings before hosting the Bulldogs on Saturday. The 'Dins most recently avenged an earlier season loss to Wofford with a 67-66 victory over the Terriers on Feb. 22. The victory followed a 75-66 loss at league-leading ETSU, which snapped a seven-game winning streak. Furman averages 76.8 points per game and has held opponents to 66.2 points per outing for a +10.6 scoring margin, ranked 28^th in the nation. The Paladins have converted 47.6% of their shots from the field compared to 43.4% by their opposition. Furman averages 9.4 made 3-pointers per game, 25^th in the nation and fifth in the SoCon behind VMI, Western Carolina, Wofford and The Citadel. The Paladins' foes convert 7.0 treys per outing.

FURMAN INDIVIDUALLY
Four Paladins are currently averaging double-digit scoring, highlighted by Jordan Lyons' 16.8 points per game and Noah Gurley's 14.2 points per game. Lyons shoots 43.7% from the field and leads the team with 73 made 3-pointers. Gurley leads the team with a .530 shooting percentage from the field, but his 4.8 rebounds per game are second to Clay Mounce's 6.2 boards per outing. Mounce is third on the team with a scoring average of 13.2 points per outing and mike Bothwell rounds out the four highest scorers on the roster with an average of 10.5 points per game. Jalen Slawson averages 5.0 boards per game. Mike Bothwell is second on the team with a shooting percentage of .507. Alex Hunter is second on the team with 55 made triples and leads the team with 100 assists. The Paladins have started the same five players in all but one game this season. The normal starting five includes Lyons, Gurley, Mounce, Hunter and Slawson, while Bothwell started one game in place of Hunter.

COMING UP
Next week, the Bulldogs will travel up I-26 to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2020 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championships presented by General Shale at the Harrah's Cherokee Center. The Bulldogs will play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6. The opponent will be determined following this week's action.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Fans attending ticketed athletic events at The Citadel this year are reminded of the new clear bag policy that has been implemented. Under the policy, fans will be allowed to bring with them a clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag that does not exceed 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches, or a one-gallon plastic bag (such as Ziploc or Hefty bags). The bags may have a logo on one side that is no larger than 4.5 inches by 3.4 inches. Bags carrying a properly sized logo of other teams or venues are permitted. For more information, please click HERE.

JOIN THE CITADEL BRIGADIER FOUNDATION
Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes. Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on The Citadel basketball team, please visit CitadelSports.com or follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.