Sunday, November 20
Macon, Ga.
2:00 PM ET
Mercer University
2-1
80
vs
67
Georgia Southern
1-2
1
2
F
Georgia Southern
39
28
67
Mercer
34
46
80
Team Stats
GS
MER
FG%
.368
.453
3FG%
.323
.238
FT%
.833
.844
RB
30
40
TO
10
9
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballLate-Game Run Propels Mercer Over Georgia Southern, 80-67
11/20/2016 5:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer had all five starters score in double figures – including Ria'n Holland's 18 points – and the Bears ended the game on a 25-4 run as Mercer came from behind to defeat Georgia Southern, 80-67, in front of a sellout crowd of 3,508 at Hawkins Arena Sunday afternoon in an opening round game of the Savannah Invitational.
Mercer's five starters alone outscored Georgia Southern, 73-67, while Andrew Fishler added seven points for the Bears (2-1). Georgia Southern (1-2), led by Ike Smith's 19 points, was held to just 36.8 percent shooting from the floor.
The game marked the 114th meeting between the two schools but just the first since 2007 as Mercer snapped a three-game losing streak to the Eagles.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
While Ria'n Holland may have led the way with 18 points, Stephon Jelks gets the nod as he finished just one rebound shy of a double-double. Jelks tallied 15 points and nine rebounds while adding five assists to his credit in Sunday's win.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer ended the game on a 25-4 run over the final seven minutes, including a 23-2 stretch over a six-minute span. That flipped an eight-point deficit to a 13-point advantage by the time the final buzzer sounded.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A slow start but a fast finish in a game that was heavily dominated by runs. Trailing by 12 in the first half, Mercer went on an 18-0 run to take a six-point lead with 7:27 remaining before Georgia Southern would battle back to take a five-point lead into half.
Then, trailing by eight midway through the second half, Mercer poured on the pressure with a 25-4 run to end the game in a stretch that included a 15-0 run and a 23-2 run. The most impressive part of the 25-4 run was three different players scored at least five points in that stretch. They key was also in free throw shooting as that run was held together with 16 made free throws.
Once again, Mercer's stifling defense made life difficult for an opponent. Georgia Southern, which entered the game shooting 45.3 percent from the field, was held to 36.8 percent shooting.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"The first half our second unit was responsible for that. Fish [Andrew Fishler] got some easy baskets as we found him. They were switching and we worked all week on that. We didn't do a good job the whole time because they are really good at their schemes. But Fish was able to get some layups over the top when little guys were on him and that was when we got a run."
On the win:
"I think it is huge. It is momentum of a new team and new guys trying to figure out who they are. We still don't know everything and we had some guys out – three sophomores not playing because of injury. We didn't win a championship today but we found out more about who we are. I think we can take it to the next game and have a transference of learning from what we were able to have accomplished tonight."
On Jordan Strawberry:
"We need him to be the energy guy and he's laid back – from California, I guess. If he can get that kind of attitude – he got way up on that second layup and used his body really well to finish. But the steals on the press, he just read the play and I thought it changed the momentum of the game. Then we went on that big run. He was responsible for a lot of that and made some really good passes during that stretch."
RECORDS
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Mercer's five starters alone outscored Georgia Southern, 73-67, while Andrew Fishler added seven points for the Bears (2-1). Georgia Southern (1-2), led by Ike Smith's 19 points, was held to just 36.8 percent shooting from the floor.
The game marked the 114th meeting between the two schools but just the first since 2007 as Mercer snapped a three-game losing streak to the Eagles.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
While Ria'n Holland may have led the way with 18 points, Stephon Jelks gets the nod as he finished just one rebound shy of a double-double. Jelks tallied 15 points and nine rebounds while adding five assists to his credit in Sunday's win.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer ended the game on a 25-4 run over the final seven minutes, including a 23-2 stretch over a six-minute span. That flipped an eight-point deficit to a 13-point advantage by the time the final buzzer sounded.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A slow start but a fast finish in a game that was heavily dominated by runs. Trailing by 12 in the first half, Mercer went on an 18-0 run to take a six-point lead with 7:27 remaining before Georgia Southern would battle back to take a five-point lead into half.
Then, trailing by eight midway through the second half, Mercer poured on the pressure with a 25-4 run to end the game in a stretch that included a 15-0 run and a 23-2 run. The most impressive part of the 25-4 run was three different players scored at least five points in that stretch. They key was also in free throw shooting as that run was held together with 16 made free throws.
Once again, Mercer's stifling defense made life difficult for an opponent. Georgia Southern, which entered the game shooting 45.3 percent from the field, was held to 36.8 percent shooting.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"The first half our second unit was responsible for that. Fish [Andrew Fishler] got some easy baskets as we found him. They were switching and we worked all week on that. We didn't do a good job the whole time because they are really good at their schemes. But Fish was able to get some layups over the top when little guys were on him and that was when we got a run."
On the win:
"I think it is huge. It is momentum of a new team and new guys trying to figure out who they are. We still don't know everything and we had some guys out – three sophomores not playing because of injury. We didn't win a championship today but we found out more about who we are. I think we can take it to the next game and have a transference of learning from what we were able to have accomplished tonight."
On Jordan Strawberry:
"We need him to be the energy guy and he's laid back – from California, I guess. If he can get that kind of attitude – he got way up on that second layup and used his body really well to finish. But the steals on the press, he just read the play and I thought it changed the momentum of the game. Then we went on that big run. He was responsible for a lot of that and made some really good passes during that stretch."
RECORDS
- Mercer: 2-1 (0-0 SoCon)
- Georgia Southern: 1-2 (0-0 Sun Belt)
- Mercer: Hosts Radford on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. in Macon, Georgia on ASN
- Georgia Southern: at Akron on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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