MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's basketball team earned a No. 15 seed and will open the 2019 NCAA Tournament against No. 2 Iowa in a first-round matchup on Friday at 2 p.m. (ET) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
The meeting will be the first-ever clash between the Bears (25-7) and Hawkeyes (26-6), who earned an automatic bid to the tournament after defeating Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament title game on March 10. Friday's game will be aired live on ESPN2.
The Bears are fresh off their second consecutive Southern Conference Tournament title and enter the Big Dance on a 17-game win streak dating back to Jan. 12. This is the second time in as many years that Mercer has made the tournament under head coach Susie Gardner. The 2019 SoCon Coach of the Year, Gardner has led her team to four consecutive SoCon regular season titles and a streak of 34 straight SoCon regular season victories.
Mercer earned an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament via a 66-63 win over Furman in the SoCon Championship on March 10 in Asheville, N.C. This is Mercer's fifth straight postseason berth (NCAA twice, WNIT twice, WBI once). Mercer nearly upset No. 4-seeded Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling, 68-63, as a No. 13 seed.
The Bears are led by SoCon Players of the Year Amanda Thompson (coaches) and KeKe Calloway (media), who pace the team in rebounding and scoring, respectively. Sophomore Shannon Titus was an All-SoCon Second Team and SoCon All-Defensive Team selection as well. Five seniors – Calloway, Linnea Rosendal, Rachel Selph, Thompson and Ally Welch – have won 104 career games entering the tournament.
More information about the contest will be released over the upcoming days on MercerBears.com.
NCAA Ticket Prices
All-Session Ticket Prices:
- Adult: $30
- Senior: $15 (50 & above)
- Youth: $15 (18 & under)
Single-Session Ticket Prices:
- Adult: $16
- Senior: $10 (50 & above)
- Youth: $10 (18 & under)
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