Mercer University
UNC Greensboro
Men's Basketball Sinks UNCG, 55-50
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball team built a 15-point second half lead and used a pair of late free throws by senior Darious Moten to secure Saturday's 55-50 win over UNCG at Hawkins Arena.
Mercer swept the season series with UNCG and moved to 15-12 (10-4 SoCon) while the Spartans sunk to 8-19 (4-10 SoCon).
Moten netted a team-high 13 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers. Juniors Jibri Bryan and Phillip Leonard chipped 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Bears employed a 7-0 run at the end of the first half to take a 31-20 lead at the break, and pushed their advantage to 35-22 less than two minutes into the second period. The margin stayed in double figures until the Spartans put together seven-unanswered points, capped by an RJ White layup, to trim their deficit to 49-42 with 6:33 to go.
Mercer went back ahead by nine, but an Assad Lamot 3-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play for White tightened matters at 53-50 with 1:54 to go. The Bears missed three shots on their next possession, but were able to take 90 seconds off the clock thanks to offensive rebounds by Leonard and senior T.J. Hallice.
When the visitors finally got the ball back, they advanced the ball and called timeout with seven tics left in an effort to set up a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Nicholas Paulos got the ball in the corner, but his shot hit the side of the backboard and Mercer retained possession.
Moten was intentionally fouled with three seconds left and swished both throws to cement the victory. He finished 5-of-6 at the charity stripe while also collecting three rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
Hallice pulled down a game-high seven rebounds to go along with four points and an assist. Leonard added six rebounds, four assists and a steal in his 10-point performance. Bryan hit 4-of-8 field goal attempts and tallied six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
The game attracted 3,541 fans, marking Mercer's fourth consecutive sellout crowd. The Bears improved to 10-2 at Hawkins Arena this year.
Mercer resumes SoCon action on the road, traveling to Chattanooga for a 7 p.m. tip on Feb. 19.
