Mercer University
The Citadel
Record Crowd on Hand as Men's Basketball Downs The Citadel, 74-51
1/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – After going three weeks without playing at Hawkins Arena, the Mercer men's basketball team was greeted by a record-breaking crowd of 4,027 as it dispatched The Citadel, 74-51 in Southern Conference play Saturday.
Mercer won for the third time in its last four chances and moved to 9-9 (4-1 SoCon) while Citadel saw its two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 7-9 (2-3 SoCon).
The win was a model of efficiency, as the Bears piled up 15 assists with only three turnovers and shot 51.9 (27-of-52) from the floor. Junior Ike Nwamu led all scorers with 15 points, while senior Darious Moten and junior Phillip Leonard each netted 13.
Leonard also dished eight assists with zero turnovers while grabbing five rebounds. Senior T.J. Hallice scored six points and paced the Bears with seven rebounds, helping the squad own a 30-21 advantage on the glass.
Mercer actually missed its five shots of the afternoon and The Citadel scored first, but Moten hit a running hook and Nwamu splashed a transition jumper to give the Bears a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
By the 13:40 mark of the first half, the Bears' lead grew to 16-6 as juniors Jibri Bryan and Jestin Lewis nailed back-to-back 3's. The hosts went ahead by as many as 13 in the period, maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the stanza before The Citadel's Ashton Moore hit a jumper with six seconds to go to trim the margin to 40-31 at halftime.
Mercer's starters combined for 31 first half points, while Lewis and freshman Stephon Jelks provided nine off the bench.
The Bulldogs got within seven with a back-door lob dunk on the first play out of the break, but Nwamu responded with a triple to get the lead back to 10. Five minutes into the period, the Bears had hit 5-of-6 field goals while pushing their advantage to 17.
Mercer enjoyed a comfortable lead from there on, ultimately going ahead by as many as 26 before the game's conclusion. In the second half alone, Mercer shot an impressive 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the floor.
The Bears outscored the Bulldogs 32-24 in the paint and 19-5 off turnovers. Lewis finished with nine points and two assists, while Jelks chipped in six points and four rebounds.
The 4,027 attendance figure shattered the previous mark of 3,500, set twice last season against Yale and Florida Gulf Coast.
The win marked the conclusion of a seven-day stretch that saw the team play four times. The Bears went 3-1 on the week, with the only loss by a single point at ETSU.
The Bears return to Hawkins Arena on Thursday night, facing Furman in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
