Phillip Leonard, Mercer set to enter Southern Conference play

Phillip Leonard likes what he has seen from his Mercer team through the first 13 games of his senior season.

Now, he is ready to see how the Bears perform in the Southern Conference part of their season. That begins Saturday at Hawkins Arena against Samford.

"We feel pretty good. (The confidence level) is pretty high," Leonard said. "We like what we're doing. We didn't play that well (against Kennesaw State in the team's final non-conference game), and we let them get back in the game, but we were still able to find a way to win."

A big key to the Bears getting that win was the depth and balance of their attack. Mercer has seven players who average at least 5.0 points per game, led by Leonard and sophomore Stephon Jelks at 12.2.

Mercer enters the conference opener with a 10-3 record, while Samford is 9-4. The Bulldogs' marquee win came against Nebraska.

"Any time you can't key on one guy or game plan for one person or a certain thing, it makes you harder to guard and hopefully a little tougher to get prepared for," Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman said of his team's balance. "That's what you always want as a coach."

The Bears are 5-0 at home this season, and they bounced back from a 20-point loss to Ohio State with the 76-73 win over Kennesaw State on Wednesday.

That left the Bears with a 2-2 record on their four-game road trip to end the calendar year with the other win coming against Arkansas.

Mercer beat Samford twice last year, including a one-point win at Samford.

"We're really improving. We're still trying to figure things out," Hoffman said. "We've got multiple guys who have had big games. I think that really helps us.

"I'm not sure about everything that's going to transpire on Saturday, but I know Samford's playing at a high level. They're pressing a lot, so we're going to have to have a lot of bodies ready to play in a tough contest."

This story was originally published January 1, 2016 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Phillip Leonard, Mercer set to enter Southern Conference play ."