Mercer University
13-4, 3-1SoCon
Furman
9-9, 3-2SoCon
Mercer Holds on in 69-65 Win Over Furman
1/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball team remained perfect at home this season, capturing a 69-65 win over Furman on Thursday evening in a Southern Conference matchup.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a tale of two halves in Hawkins Arena on Thursday. The Bears jumped out to a great start, building a 16-point lead at the half with the score 39-23. After trading three-pointers to start the game the Orange and Black went on a 17-3 run to take a 20-6 lead with over 12 minutes to play. Mercer's lead ballooned to as much as 19 points and Furman was unable to cut the lead to single digits the rest of the half.
Mercer used a balanced attack on the offensive end in the opening 20 minutes, as nine different players scored in the first frame. Sophomore forward Stephon Jelks led the Bears with 11 points and senior guard Jestin Lewis added 10 points. Mercer shot 60 percent in the half, going 15-for-25 from the floor, including a 6-for-11 effort from beyond the arc.
Furman came out firing in the second stanza, as senior guard Stephen Croone opened the half with three straight makes from beyond the arc to immediately cut Mercer's lead to seven points. Despite Mercer's many efforts to put the game away the Paladins kept fighting back. With 43 seconds left in the game Croone made a layup to trim the Bears' lead to two points at 67-65. However, Mercer rose to the occasion and did enough to escape the comeback attempt with a victory, hitting two of its final four free throws to cement the victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Phillip Leonard did it all against Furman. The Tulsa, Okla., native scored 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting. Leonard put on a masterful performance with his distribution from the point guard position in the winning effort, dishing out a game-high seven assists while only recording two turnovers. The senior also tied for the team high in rebounds with six and notched a steal to complete his magnificent evening.
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Bears' scoring was incredibly balanced, as all 11 players who logged minutes managed to find their way into the scoring column. Four Mercer players finished in double figures with Lewis and Jelks each scoring 13 points. Leonard and Ethan Stair also combined for 21 points to bolster the offensive production.
NOTABLES
- The Bears are now 9-8 against Furman in the all-time series.
- Mercer held the lead for 38:36, including a game-high 19-point spread in the opening half of play.
- In the Bears' 7-0 home start, no team has scored more than 70 points.
- Mercer's balanced effort had four players reach double figures, while all 11 Bears that saw game action put their name in the scoring column.
- The Orange and Black's bench scored 23 points in the win, marking the 11th time this season it has put up 20+ points.
- The Bears improve to 12-0 when leading at half and 12-0 when holding a lead with five minutes to go in the game.
- The two teams fought to a 31-31 draw in the rebounding margin, marking just the third time this season that Mercer has not won the battle on the glass.
- Jelks now has a team-high 12 games of 10+ points this season.
- Jestin Lewis scored 13 points, marking his 11th game in double figures during the 2015-16 season.
- Leonard has met or surpassed the 10-point mark in nine games in his senior season.
- Stair's 10 points mark his fifth game in double figures as a freshman.
- Leonard's seven assists give him five games of seven or more on the year.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer improves to 13-4 on the season and is now 3-1 in SoCon play, while Furman falls to 9-9 on the year and 3-2 in conference action.
UP NEXT: Mercer has a quick turnaround and hosts Wofford on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 4 p.m. Mercer's own Betty Cantrell, Miss America 2016, will sing the National Anthem before the game. The contest will air live on FOX Sports Southeast.
STAY SOCIAL: For all the latest information and up-to-the-minute updates on Mercer men's basketball, please follow the team on Twitter at @MercerMBB.
