Preview: East Tennessee State Lady Buccaneers at Mercer Bears MACON, Ga. (Interstat) — A critical Southern Conference women’s basketball matchup with postseason implications is set for Thursday when the Mercer Bears host the East Tennessee State Lady Buccaneers at Hawkins Arena. Both teams enter the Feb. 26 contest on the heels of victories and carrying nearly identical records. Mercer (16-11 overall) holds a slight edge over ETSU (15-12) in the standings. The Bears won the previous meeting this season, 50-45, in Johnson City on Feb. 10. That defensive struggle typifies the recent series, and another tight contest is anticipated. ETSU has won five of its last seven games, including a 61-51 victory over Western Carolina last Saturday. Mercer snapped a two-game skid with an emphatic 80-63 road win at Furman on the same day. A key player to watch for the visiting Lady Buccaneers is guard Daniela López. She led ETSU with 15 points in the win over Western Carolina and scored a career-high 28 points in a double-overtime victory at Chattanooga on Feb. 14. However, López was held to just 3 points in the earlier loss to Mercer this month. Mercer will counter with forward Abigail Holtman, who is coming off one of her best performances of the season. She posted 16 points and seven rebounds in the win at Furman. Holtman had 5 points and a block in the Feb. 10 victory over ETSU. The game features two of the league’s top defensive units. ETSU has held opponents under 52 points in three of its last four wins. Mercer’s defense limited the Lady Buccaneers to 45 points in the first matchup. With both teams jockeying for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament, Thursday’s result could prove pivotal. The rematch at Hawkins Arena tips off at 7 p.m. EST.