Mercer hosts Furman after Garrison's 22-point performance

Published Jan. 29, 2022 2:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Furman Paladins (15-7, 7-2 SoCon) at Mercer Bears (12-9, 5-3 SoCon)

Macon, Georgia; Saturday, 6 p.m. EST

LINE: Mercer -5.5; over/under is 139.5

BOTTOM LINE: Furman visits the Mercer Bears after Conley Garrison scored 22 points in Furman's 79-64 victory over the VMI Keydets.

The Bears are 8-1 in home games. Mercer is eighth in the SoCon scoring 71.7 points while shooting 44.9% from the field.

The Paladins have gone 7-2 against SoCon opponents. Furman is the top team in the SoCon shooting 39.3% from downtown. Garrison leads the Paladins shooting 48.1% from 3-point range.

The teams play for the second time this season in SoCon play. The Paladins won the last matchup 81-66 on Jan. 8. Mike Bothwell scored 17 points to help lead the Paladins to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Felipe Haase is averaging 15.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals for the Bears. Jalen Johnson is averaging 14.0 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 44.4% over the last 10 games for Mercer.

Alex Hunter averages 3.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Paladins, scoring 14.6 points while shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc. Bothwell is averaging 15.8 points and 3.3 assists over the last 10 games for Furman.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bears: 5-5, averaging 69.2 points, 28.9 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.2 points per game.

Paladins: 8-2, averaging 75.1 points, 32.8 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 8.3 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.0 points.

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