Thomas and Furman host Mercer

By Canadian Press on December 31, 2025.

Mercer Bears (8-5) at Furman Paladins (9-4)

Greenville, South Carolina; Wednesday, 12 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Furman takes on Mercer after Asa Thomas scored 25 points in Furman’s 84-76 victory against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.

The Paladins are 6-1 in home games. Furman averages 17.3 assists per game to lead the SoCon, paced by Alex Wilkins with 4.8.

The Bears are 2-5 in road games. Mercer averages 83.7 points and has outscored opponents by 10.2 points per game.

Furman averages 9.0 made 3-pointers per game, 1.4 more made shots than the 7.6 per game Mercer allows. Mercer averages 9.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 more made shots on average than the 8.2 per game Furman allows.

The Paladins and Bears meet Wednesday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Wilkins is averaging 16.8 points and 4.8 assists for the Paladins. Thomas is averaging 3.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Baraka Okojie is scoring 17.6 points per game with 4.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Bears. Armani Mighty is averaging 12.4 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 70.1% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Paladins: 8-2, averaging 80.1 points, 35.0 rebounds, 18.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.5 points per game.

Bears: 6-4, averaging 83.4 points, 37.4 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 9.1 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press