Wednesday, December 28
Kennesaw, Ga.
7:00 PM ET
Mercer University
6-7
80
at
76
Kennesaw State
4-10
1
2
F
Mercer
33
47
80
Kennesaw State
31
45
76
Team Stats
MER
KSU
FG%
.551
.509
3FG%
.667
.421
FT%
.800
.923
RB
32
20
TO
14
6
STL
1
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Hot-Handed Mercer Downs Kennesaw State, 80-76
12/28/2016 9:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bears sink a season-best 14 three-pointers
KENNESAW, Ga. – Stephon Jelks and Demetre Rivers scored 19 points apiece as Mercer shot a combined 55 percent from the field to hold off Kennesaw State, 80-76, at the KSU Convention Center Wednesday night.
Â
The Bears (6-7) limited Kendrick Ray – the nation's fourth-best scorer at 23.4 points per game – to five points while additionally connecting for a season-best 14 three-pointers offensively. It was Mercer's first road win of the year and the sixth straight victory over its intrastate rival.
Â
An 8-2 run by Kennesaw State (4-10) cut Mercer's lead to 76-74 with one minute and 31 seconds remaining, but Cory Kilby drained a key three-pointer and connected on the front end of a pair of free throws for the Bears' final four points to seal the win.
Â
With their three-game skid snapped and the non-conference slate in the books, the Bears will now shift its focus to Southern Conference foe Wofford, which they face in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
The nod goes to Jelks, who paced Mercer with a game-high 19 points and finished in a three-way tie for the team lead in rebounds with five. Jelks shot 6-for-7 from the field and drained all four of his three-point attempts en route to a season-high points total.
Â
STAT OF THE GAME
The long ball was a sure thing for the Bears as they hit a season-best 14 shots from behind the arc. Even more impressive, the 14 made three-pointers came on 21 attempts (66.7 percent). Jelks and Jordan Strawberry both hit all four of their attempts while Ria'n Holland and Kilby knocked down a pair each.
Â
COACH HOFFMAN'S COMMENTS
"I'm just thrilled for our guys; they've been working hard. We didn't get the last two [games] but we played with the same kind of intensity tonight. I thought our guys fought the whole game – it was a great college basketball game."
Â
"The way [Kennesaw State] was guarding us, they were trying to take away the driving angles on the side ball screens. Stephon [Jelks] and Demetre [Rivers] had play after play. Desmond [Ringer] was a beast inside. Then Cory [Kilby] hit the shot and made a free throw that put us on top."
Â
"We needed to get one of these close ones. To get one now really felt good. We've always had great support here [Kennesaw, Georgia] and have alumni who live in this area. I'm thankful they were here; they really gave us a boost when we needed one."
RECORDS UPDATE
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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.
Â
Â
The Bears (6-7) limited Kendrick Ray – the nation's fourth-best scorer at 23.4 points per game – to five points while additionally connecting for a season-best 14 three-pointers offensively. It was Mercer's first road win of the year and the sixth straight victory over its intrastate rival.
Â
An 8-2 run by Kennesaw State (4-10) cut Mercer's lead to 76-74 with one minute and 31 seconds remaining, but Cory Kilby drained a key three-pointer and connected on the front end of a pair of free throws for the Bears' final four points to seal the win.
Â
With their three-game skid snapped and the non-conference slate in the books, the Bears will now shift its focus to Southern Conference foe Wofford, which they face in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
The nod goes to Jelks, who paced Mercer with a game-high 19 points and finished in a three-way tie for the team lead in rebounds with five. Jelks shot 6-for-7 from the field and drained all four of his three-point attempts en route to a season-high points total.
Â
STAT OF THE GAME
The long ball was a sure thing for the Bears as they hit a season-best 14 shots from behind the arc. Even more impressive, the 14 made three-pointers came on 21 attempts (66.7 percent). Jelks and Jordan Strawberry both hit all four of their attempts while Ria'n Holland and Kilby knocked down a pair each.
Â
COACH HOFFMAN'S COMMENTS
"I'm just thrilled for our guys; they've been working hard. We didn't get the last two [games] but we played with the same kind of intensity tonight. I thought our guys fought the whole game – it was a great college basketball game."
Â
"The way [Kennesaw State] was guarding us, they were trying to take away the driving angles on the side ball screens. Stephon [Jelks] and Demetre [Rivers] had play after play. Desmond [Ringer] was a beast inside. Then Cory [Kilby] hit the shot and made a free throw that put us on top."
Â
"We needed to get one of these close ones. To get one now really felt good. We've always had great support here [Kennesaw, Georgia] and have alumni who live in this area. I'm thankful they were here; they really gave us a boost when we needed one."
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 6-7 (1-3 Away)
- Kennesaw State 4-10 (3-2 Home)
- Mercer: at Wofford on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
- Kennesaw State: vs. North Georgia on Dec. 31 at 12 p.m. (noon)
- Mercer earned its first road win of the season and improved to 1-3 in such contests.
- Mercer improved to 15-6 all-time against the Owls and has won six in a row in the series.
- Jordan Strawberry dished out his 250th career assist on Mercer's first bucket of the game, a layup by Desmond Ringer. He led all players with seven assists for the game.
- Demetre Rivers finished with a game-best 19 points and surpassed 500 career points along the way.
- Kilby's nine points on 3-for-5 shooting and five rebounds were both season-bests.
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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.
Â
Mercer v North Dakota VB Highlight Reel: 9/19/2025
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v West Georgia VB Highlight Reel: 9/18/2025
Friday, September 19
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 4 vs Citadel)
Tuesday, September 16
Mercer 22, Wofford 21 | Postgame Press Conference (9/13/25)
Sunday, September 14
