Mercer University
Kennesaw St.
Men's Basketball Outlasts Kennesaw State, 74-66
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball team went up by as many as 25 on Wednesday night before surviving a late Kennesaw State rally in a 74-66 victory at Hawkins Arena.
Mercer went to 2-1 on the year while Kennesaw State fell to 0-3 with the loss.
Head coach Bob Hoffman won his 128th game on the Mercer sidelines, moving into a tie for third most in program history. Junior Jibri Bryan scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first half as the Bears blitzed the visitors out of the gate.
After a scoreless first two minutes, a fast break layup for junior Phillip Leonard and a fallaway jumper by senior Darious Moten staked the Bears to a 4-0 lead. Key to the quick start was senior T.J. Hallice, who rejected a KSU shot and stepped in the lane for a steal in the opening minutes.
Mercer's lead swelled to 12 by the 9:07 juncture as junior Ike Nwamu went coast to coast for a fast break layup that capped a 10-2 charge. The Bears continued to maintain control and ultimately went ahead by 17 as Bryan canned a jumper at the final buzzer of the half.
Early in the second half, Hallice scored five points in a 41-second span to push Mercer's lead to 22. With 7:50 to play, Mercer led 62-37 when the Owls began a late charge to make things interesting.
Kennesaw State outscored Mercer 22-4 over the next 5:01, highlighted by four 3-pointers in just over two minutes of play to get within seven (66-59) with 2:49 to go. Six free throws down the stretch helped the Bears salt away the victory, which marked Mercer's fourth-straight against the in-state opponent.
Moten finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds and an assist. Leonard tallied 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal while Hallice added 11 points, five boards, four steals and a block.
Mercer shot a season-high 55.6 percent from the floor in the win and held advantages in paint scoring (34-28), points off turnovers (19-15) and bench scoring (12-2). Freshman Jordan Strawberry led Mercer's reserves with eight points, three assists, a rebound and a steal in 18 minutes.
Mercer is now set to open a four-game road trip at Colorado State on Sunday. After Sunday's game, the Bears head to Anchorage, Alaska for three games in the Great Alaskan Shootout.
