Mercer University
East Tenn. St.
Hall's Double-Double Guides Bears to 78-59 Win over ETSU
1/17/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Junior guard Langston Hall finished one rebound shy of a triple-double and four Mercer men's basketball players reached double-figures in a 78-59 victory over East Tennessee State on Thursday night at Hawkins Arena.
Mercer's ninth-straight win at home moved the Bears to 11-8 (4-2 A-Sun) on the season while ETSU slipped to 4-14 (2-3 A-Sun). The Bears' 7-0 record at Hawkins Arena this season also marks the team's best start at home since the 1973-74 campaign.
Hall scored 13 points, dished 10 assists and collected nine rebounds to register Mercer's first double-double performance since Jakob Gollon scored 11 points and had 11 rebounds at Seton Hall on December 18, 2011. Moreover, his efforts were indicative of a fluid offensive attack that saw the Bears register 22 assists on 25 field goals.
Senior Travis Smith scored a game-high 18 points in the win, while junior Daniel Coursey netted 17 of his own. Junior Bud Thomas also broke into double-figures, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half.
Hall's memorable night was jump started by a broken play seven and a half minutes into the game. Mercer was trailing 12-10 and had possession when a loose ball soared into the air between a handful of players. Thomas skied for the ball, and as opponents converged he tipped it to Hall, who stepped into a three pointer.
Hall was fouled on the shot and converted the four-point play, and moments later found Thomas on back-to-back possessions for threes in the corner as Mercer went out in front, 20-14.
The Buccaneers would fight back to tie matters at 22-22, but a three-ball in the corner from Jibri Bryan sparked a quick 5-0 spurt helped the Bears regain separation. With less than four minutes before half, Mercer's lead was still five when seven unanswered pushed the team's lead to double-digits for the first time.
Within the first five minutes of the second half, the Bears had extended an 11-point halftime lead to 18. Coursey was paramount during that stretch as he outscored the Buccaneers 9-2 by himself. ETSU would come no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
Coursey's 17 points came on six-of-seven shooting from the field and five-of-six aim at the free throw line. He also contributed five rebounds, four steals and two blocks to the winning effort. Smith led the team in scoring for the fifth time in the last six games, booking his 18 points on six-of-10 shooting from the floor. The Johns Island, South Carolina native also notched three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Thomas' 11 points were critical to Mercer's hot start, as he scored all 11 in the first 10 minutes of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, he had added five rebounds, five assists and two steals to his stat line.
Mercer's 22 assists was the team's highest total this season and most since tallying 23 against Stetson on January 28, 2012. Hall's 10 helpers was a career-high and lifted him record his first collegiate double-double.
The win also pushed head coach Bob Hoffman one closer to a career milestone. Hoffman and the Bears will entertain USC Upstate at Hawkins Arena on Saturday, with Hoffman eying his 399th win as a head collegiate men's coach. Game time against the Spartans is set for 4:30 p.m.
