Gardner hoping to test her Mercer team with difficult schedule

The Mercer women’s basketball team is looking for its third straight Southern Conference regular-season title during the 2017-18 season.

To help the Bears reach that goal, head coach Susie Gardner was looking to test them with a difficult non-conference schedule. Mercer’s non-conference schedule, which was released Monday, includes 15 games, including nine opponents that had winning records and five that played in the postseason.

Western Kentucky and UNC Asheville played in the NCAA Tournament last season, while Central Florida and George Washington joined the Bears in the WNIT. Campbell also reached postseason play, competing in the WBI.

Mercer also will host Georgia and travel to North Carolina and Charlotte.

“In non-conference games last season, the scoring margins were widespread,” Gardner said. “The SoCon is a very competitive conference, and I felt that this year’s schedule needed to be one where we have more close games. People will immediately focus on us playing Georgia and UNC Chapel Hill, but we have great teams throughout our schedule; Western Kentucky and UNC Asheville went to the NCAA Tournament, and Central Florida and Georgia Washington were in the WNIT.

“In my opinion, this is the best non-conference schedule we have had since I have been here.”

Mercer opens its season Nov. 10 at Central Florida. The Bears’ first home game is Nov. 16 against Georgia Southern, and that is followed by the home game against Georgia on Nov. 19. The road game against North Carolina is set for Dec. 28.

Mercer opens Southern Conference play Jan. 4 at Wofford, and its first three conference games are on the road. The Bears’ first home conference game is Jan. 18 against UNC Greensboro. The conference tournament is set for March 1-4 in Asheville, North Carolina.

Mercer finished 25-7 last year and returns its top nine scorers from that team, including two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year Kahlia Lawrence and fellow seniors Sydni Means, Alex Williams, Kayla Potts and Son Kitchens.

“For the most part, we have the same exact team as we had last year,” Gardner said. “We have a lot of veteran leadership, so the expectations are a little bit different. We have a good team; we just have to worry about Mercer and performing at our top level. Those five seniors need to be playing the best basketball of their careers.”

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Gardner hoping to test her Mercer team with difficult schedule."