GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women's basketball team (8-7) returns to the hardwood after a week's rest as it looks to build on a firm non-conference foundation when the Spartans begin Southern Conference play Thursday night. UNCG hopes to extend its current three-game win streak to four when the Spartans host Mercer (10-5) inside Fleming Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
UNCG finished the non-conference portion of the season above .500 for the first time since 2000-01. The Spartans have already surpassed their total wins from a season ago and are coming off a program-record in which they shot 66.1 percent from the field and matched the second-best scoring performance in the program's Division I era with a 103-56 win over North Carolina Central December 31, 2015.
Lucy Mason (Stone Mountain, Ga./Chamblee Charter) has been the talk of the town this week after earning a trifecta of league honors. Tuesday she was named the SoCon Women's Basketball Player of the week and Wednesday she earned Student-Athlete of the Week accolades as well as Player of the Month honors. It mark's the second time this season Mason has won all three honors in a week span and she became the eighth women's basketball player in league history to earn back-to-back Player of the Month recognition.
Mason's pacing the team with a league-leading 24.2 points per game, which also ranks fourth in the nation. The junior tandem of Shanese Harris (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) and Jade Scaife (Fort Washington, Md./Archbishop Spalding) are averaging 9.6 and 9.4 points per game while India Timpton (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) leads the squad with 7.4 rebounds per game.
The Spartans are averaging 68 points per game and averaging 40 percent from field goal range. UNCG is out-rebounding its opponents on average of 2.5 boards per game and is tallying 9.7 steals per game.
Mercer sits atop the SoCon standings with the best record, 10-5, and was picked to finished fifth in both the Coaches Preseason and Media Preseason polls. Mercer is paced by Kahlia Lawrence who averages 16.1 points per game, good for third in the league. Linnea Rosendal is second in scoring for the Bears with 9.9 ppg and has reached double-figures nine times this season. The Bears are averaging 61.9 ppg as a team and on average outscore their opponents by seven points.
Thursday night's matchup marks the fourth meeting between the two programs. Mercer holds the all-time series 3-0. Last time the two teams played inside Fleming Gymnasium, Mercer topped UNCG, 74-73, January 12, 2015.
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