Mercer University
Mississippi
Hall's Game Winner Lifts Mercer Over Ole Miss, 79-76
12/22/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Sophomore guard Ike Nwamu scored a career-high 24 points and senior Langston Hall nailed the game winning three with 0.6 seconds left in the Mercer men's basketball team's thrilling 79-76 win over Ole Miss on Sunday at Tad Smith Coliseum.
"The way we won it, this may be the best win we've had on the road in the six years that I've been here," head coach Bob Hoffman said. "We were in control, got hit with a big blow from a great club and regained control to win it. That can happen at home sometimes, but rarely on the road."
Mercer never trailed in the first half and ultimately went ahead by 16 in the opening minute of the second half. Seeing the game slip away, Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy called a timeout to quell Mercer's momentum.
His tactic worked, and the Rebels began a methodical 36-13 run over the next 12:18 to go ahead by seven (67-60) with 6:44 to play.
With the crowd now stoked to a fever pitch, Nwamu put Mercer on his back and scored Mercer's next 10 points to quiet the building and put Mercer back in front. His surge accounted for an overall 10-2 Mercer run and saw the Bears lead 70-69 with four minutes to play.
With 24 seconds to play, Mercer led 74-73 when Nwamu was whistled for an off-ball foul. The infaction sent Ole Miss senior Marshall Henderson – a 78.6% free throw shooter – to the line for two. He missed both and Ole Miss intentionally fouled Hall.
Hall hit both of his shots and Ole Miss raced the other way. Henderson came off a screen and buried a deep three to tie the game with 13 seconds left. Mercer inbounded and elected to not call timeout as the clock dwindled. Hall crossed over at the key and drained the game winning three with just 0.6 seconds to go. An Ole Miss desperation heave at the buzzer was no good.
Nwamu scored 13 of his career-high 24 points in the second half, while Hall finished with 17 points. Senior Jakob Gollon added 10 while senior Monty Brown chipped in 10 points off the bench.
Mercer is now 5-5 against SEC competition under head coach Bob Hoffman, including a 5-4 record in road games. The Rebels join the Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Tennessee and Seton Hall as high-major programs bested by Hoffman's Bears.
The Bears' win was the first in seven all-time meetings against Ole Miss. The team will complete the non-conference portion of its schedule hosting St. Andrews at 7 p.m. on December 27.
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