Mercer University
Western Caro.
Men's Hoops Edged by Western Carolina, 58-54
2/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer and Western Carolina traded blows for 40 minutes on Thursday night, but in the end it was the Catamounts who came up with key plays to escape Hawkins Arena with a 58-54 victory in Southern Conference men's basketball action.
Mercer lost for just the second time at home this season and dipped to 14-12 (9-4 SoCon) while Western Carolina won its second-straight and jumped to 13-13 (8-6 SoCon).
In a game that featured eight ties and 21 lead changes, Western Carolina hit three 3-pointers in a 2:09 span down the stretch to take a commanding 55-48 lead with 2:06 to play. Until that point, neither team had led by more than five.
The Bears refused to quit, and had life late as a Jestin Lewis steal led to free throws that put the margin at 55-51 with 1:24 to go. The Bears would ultimately pull within two with 15 seconds to play as Western Carolina's Rhett Harrelson missed the second of two free throws, leading to a run out three-point play for freshman Jordan Strawberry.
The play proved to be too little, too late as Western Carolina senior James Sinclair hit both free throws on the other end to account for the game's final score.
Junior Jibri Bryan paced the Bears with 12 points to go along with four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Senior T.J. Hallice booked double-figures for the third-straight game, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half while adding seven rebounds.
Mercer struggled to find its shooting touch, hitting 3-of-16 (18.8%) from 3-point range and 18-of-47 (38.3%) from the floor in the losing effort. Western Carolina, on the other hand, hit 11-of-17 (64.7%) from beyond the arc and finished at 19-of-45 (42.2%) shooting for the game.
Neither team gained much separation until layups by Hallice and sophomore Phillip Leonard pushed the Bears ahead 19-14, but the Catamounts responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to retake a one-point edge.
Mercer had missed its first seven 3-point attempts of the evening until Bryan cashed in from the corner with 1:20 to play before halftime. Junior Ike Nwamu had the final bucket of the period, swishing a jumper to put the Bears up 26-24 at intermission.
Early in the second half, the game's sixth tie was a 30-30 standstill when the Bears went ahead by four thanks to Bryan free throws and a Darious Moten inside score. The Catamounts came right back with five-unanswered to reassume the upper hand.
With 3:12 left, Western Carolina led 49-48 when Moten drew a charge to give the Bears possession. Bryan couldn't get a 12-footer to go, and the Catamounts nailed a 3-pointer on their next trip down as part of their late-game surge.
The Bears finished with a 12-2 advantage in bench scoring, as four reserves chipped in points off the pine. Strawberry finished with five points and two assists, while Lewis collected four points and five rebounds and freshman Stephon Jelks chipped in three points and seven boards.
Mercer continues SoCon play at home on Saturday, hosting UNCG in a 2 p.m. tipoff.
