Mercer University
16-6, 6-3SoCon
UNC Greensboro
8-14, 4-5SoCon
Lewis' 23 Points Propel Mercer to 81-67 Win Over UNCG
1/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – In front of a standing-room only crowd of 4,032 fans, the second largest in Hawkins Arena history, Mercer used a 46-point second half to defeat UNCG 81-67. The win keeps the Bears' home record unblemished on the season at 10-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening 20 minutes were highly contested from tip to the halftime buzzer, as neither team held a lead of more than five the entire frame. With the clock running down and a one-point lead, Mercer's Stephon Jelks buried a corner three to put the Bears up four at the half.
Senior forward Desmond Ringer and sophomore guard Jordan Strawberry were the catalysts for the Bears in the first half, as both players scored eight points. The Orange and Black dominated the glass, outrebounding UNCG 20-11 heading in to the intermission.
Mercer pulled away in the second half using a 16-5 run, capped off by Jestin Lewis' three just inside the nine-minute mark to take a commanding 61-48 lead. The Bears led by as many as 17 in the second stanza and cruised to a 14-point victory at 81-67.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Despite a slow shooting start, senior guard Jestin Lewis filled the stat sheet on Saturday. Lewis scored 19 of his game-high 23 points after the half, including three makes from beyond the arc. The Richmond, Va., native also led Mercer in rebounding with eight boards, just one shy of his career high. The guard also had a team-high three steals and was second on assists for the game with five.
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Bears scored 46 points in the second half, their third highest total of the season. Mercer shot 55.2 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, going 16-for-29 from the floor. The Orange and Black also connected on 6-of-13 three-pointers after the intermission.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"Tonight we got a little bit of our swag back in the sense that we played hard and to our strengths tonight. The home crowd, our home court, and all of Middle Georgia came out to support these guys. You can't believe how much difference it makes. Our crowd is definitely one of the best, if not the best, in the conference.
NOTABLES
- The Bears are now 7-0 against the Spartans in the all-time series.
- Mercer remains perfect at home with a record of 10-0.
- No team has scored more than 70 points against the Bears in Hawkins Arena during the 2015-16 campaign.
- Mercer is 14-2 overall when holding opponents to opponents to 70 points or less this season.
- The Orange and Black outrebounded UNCG, 35-27, marking the 18th time the Bears have recorded more boards than the opposition.
- The Mercer bench outscored the UNCG bench 23-7 on the afternoon.
- The Bears reached the 30-point mark in scoring in the paint for the third-straight game after doubling up UNCG, 32-16, in that statistic today.
- The Orange and Black scored 24 points off of turnovers on Saturday, marking the second-straight contest they have scored at least 20 points in that statistical category.
- Lewis scored 20 or more points for the second-straight game and the fifth time this season with a game-high 23. He now has back-to-back 20-point contests for the second time in 2015-16.
- Lewis also matched a career high with five assists to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. The senior has nine contests with multiple thefts, achieving the feat in each of the past three games.
- Ethan Stair matched a career-high with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting including a 2-for-3 effort from beyond the arc.
- Phillip Leonard came close to a triple double, filling up the box score with eight points, a game-high nine assists and six rebounds. He has recorded five or more assists in 12 contests this season.
- Desmond Ringer found double-figures for the fourth time this year, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. He also added a season-high two steals.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer improves to 16-6 on the season and is now 6-3 in SoCon play, while UNCG moves to 8-14 on the year and 4-5 in conference action.
UP NEXT
The Bears will make a quick trip west to Birmingham, Ala., to face Samford for the second time this season on Monday, Feb. 1. The game will start at 7 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.
