Mercer University
Samford
Leonard Game-Winner, Moten Block Lift Bears to Victory
2/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Mercer men's basketball team found itself trailing for the first time Saturday with 26.2 seconds remaining, but junior Phillip Leonard drove for a go-ahead layup and senior Darious Moten blocked Samford's Tyler Hood at the buzzer to preserve a 62-61 victory at the Pete Hanna Center.
Mercer's fifth Southern Conference road win lifted the team to 16-13 (11-5 SoCon) while Samford lost its second straight and fell to 12-17 (5-11 SoCon).
The Bears jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first half and maintained a sizeable advantage until the Bulldogs rallied to cut their deficit to one 11:29 to play. Mercer managed to stay in front, thwarting four Samford chances to take the lead down the stretch.
The Bulldogs finally converted an opportunity to go ahead with 26.2 seconds to play, as a Marcus Johnson dished to Tyler Hood for a 61-60 Samford lead. Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman called a timeout and drew up a play for Leonard, who benefitted from a seal underneath by big man T.J. Hallice that allowed him to get to the rim with 6.2 seconds to go for the eventual game winner.
On the other end, Samford had a great chance to steal it back as a baseline drive left Hood open for a point-blank shot. Moten rushed to help and elevated for a game-saving block as time expired.
Moten got it done offensively, as well, scoring a game-high 15 points to go along with eight rebounds. Junior Jibri Bryan reached double figures for the fifth consecutive time, scoring all 10 of his points in the first half.
Leonard, who was limited to 20 minutes of action due to foul trouble, finished with eight points and three rebounds. Junior Jestin Lewis chipped in eight points off the bench, while Hallice filled the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Bryan got Mercer going at the outset, drilling two 3's before the first media timeout to help the Bears mount an 8-4 lead. The Bulldogs closed to within one at 8-7 before an Ike Nwamu trey and a Hallice reserve layup pushed the margin back to five.
The buckets marked the start of a 13-0 run that saw the Bears hold the Bulldogs without a point for over six minutes of game time. The stretch was capped by a Leonard put-back layup that established the 21-7 advantage.
The Bulldogs cut their deficit to 10 by halftime, and scored nine unanswered in the second half to make it 46-45 with 11:29 on the clock.
Samford became the fifth SoCon team to have the season series swept by Mercer. The Bears have also posted two victories over VMI, UNCG, Furman and The Citadel.
The Bears return home for a matchup against conference leading Wofford on Feb. 26. Game time at Hawkins Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
