Mercer University
14-4, 4-1SoCon
Wofford
7-11, 4-2SoCon
Mercer Wins Overtime Thriller Over Wofford in Front of Record Crowd
1/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Saturday's game between Mercer and Wofford featured everything. A record crowd of 4,502 packed Hawkins Arena to see the Bears win one of the most thrilling games in recent memory by a final of 70-69 in overtime over the Terriers. Even Mercer's own Betty Cantrell, Miss America 2016, sang the National Anthem prior to tip.
HOW IT HAPPENED
With the shot clock winding down and trailing 69-68, sophomore forward Desmond Ringer hit his 10th shot of the day at the rim to give Mercer a 70-69 lead with 17 seconds left on the clock. Wofford's Spencer Collins fired up a three-pointer over Demetre Rivers' outstretched hands at the buzzer that did not fall to give the Bears the dramatic victory.
Ringer came through in the clutch at the end of regulation to force the overtime period. The forward converted a layup at the rim with eight seconds to tie the game at 64-64. The Orange and Black trailed by as many as seven points in the second half but refused to go away. Trailing 43-36 with 10:34 left in regulation, Senior guard Jestin Lewis caught fire, scoring 11 of Mercer's next 13 points to give the Bears a 49-48 advantage with just over seven minutes to play. The two teams then traded punches setting up the dramatics from Ringer.
The game was tight throughout the opening 20 minutes, as neither side led by more than six points. Mercer was on top by four at 21-17 with five minutes to play before Wofford answered by scoring 13 of the final 18 points to take a 30-26 advantage to the half.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
In a contest that featured a number of outstanding individual performances from Mercer players, Ringer was the headliner for the Bears. The sophomore scored a career-high 21 points on a ridiculous 10-for-11 shooting (90.9 percent) from the floor. After scoring five points in the first frame, Ringer shot 8-for-8 in the second half and overtime sessions for 16 points. The sophomore also pulled down five rebounds in the win.
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
Mercer's trio of Ringer, Lewis and senior guard Phillip Leonard were the definition of efficiency on Saturday. The three Bears combined to go 23-of-30 from the floor (76.7 percent) and scored 53 of Mercer's 70 points. Ringer led the way with a 10-for-11 effort while Lewis made 7-of-11 shots, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 18 points. Leonard added a solid 6-for-8 effort from the field to score 14 points.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"You've got to win at home if you want to win a regular season conference championship. Before the game started I told the guys that they have had a lot of great moments this year and this is another opportunity to have another building block to get even better. I think that's the thing we will take from this. I think this is a tremendous step in the right direction."
NOTABLES
- Mercer had a record-breaking crowd of 4,502 people at Saturday's game. The Orange and Black have now sold out five of eight home games this season and nine straight Southern Conference tilts.
- Mercer's 14-4 start to the season is the program's best through 18 games since the 1978-79 squad also began 14-4.
- The Bears are now 19-22 against Wofford in the all-time series.
- In the Bears' 8-0 home start, no team has scored more than 70 points.
- Saturday has been kind to the Orange and Black, as they move to 5-0 in Saturday contests.
- The Bears improve to 2-4 when trailing at the break with both of those victories coming inside Hawkins Arena.
- Thanks in large part to 57.1 percent shooting in the second half, Mercer moved to 6-0 this season when connecting on over half of its shots.
- Mercer posted a double-digit advantage on the glass, 38-26, and is now 12-3 when winning the battle of the boards.
- The paint was controlled by Mercer, as it controlled a 34-10 scoring advantage inside the lane.
- Jelks fell one rebound shy of his fifth game with at least 15 caroms, as the sophomore hauled down a game-high 14 on the afternoon. He now has eight double-figure rebound performances.
- Jestin Lewis scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to lead the Bears back from a deficit, giving him 12 games in double figures.
- Leonard found double figures in the scoring column for the 10th time this season.
- Jordan Strawberry dished out a career-high eight assists.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer improves to 14-4 on the season and is now 4-1 in SoCon play, while Wofford drops to 7-11 on the year and 4-2 in conference action.
UP NEXT: Mercer heads north to Tennessee and North Carolina for a pair of road contests next week. The Bears face East Tennessee State on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. and then travel to Western Carolina for a matchup with the Catamounts on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 4:30 p.m.
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.
