Saturday, December 31
Spartanburg, S.C.
1:00 PM ET
Mercer University
6-8, 0-1SoCon
71
at
88
Wofford
6-8, 1-0SoCon
1
2
F
Mercer
28
43
71
Wofford
44
44
88
Team Stats
MER
WOF
FG%
.429
.509
3FG%
.333
.381
FT%
.727
.867
RB
28
37
TO
8
7
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
5
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Slow Start Dooms Bears in Conference Opener
12/31/2016 4:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford jumped out to a 16-point lead less than seven minutes into the game and Mercer couldn't overcome the early deficit in an 88-71 loss in both teams' Southern Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
Ria'n Holland led Mercer (6-8, 0-1) with four 3-pointers and 23 points. Jordan Strawberry had 18 points and seven assists.
Eric Garcia made all 16 of his free-throw attempts and scored a career-high 31 points to help Wofford (6-8, 1-0). The Terriers extended their lead to 25 points on Garcia's 3-pointer with 2:37 left in the half and never trailed.
Four starters scored in double figures for Wofford (6-8). Cameron Jackson added 14 points, Ryan Sawvell had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Fletcher Magee scored 10. The Terriers had 20 assists on 27 made field goals and only turned it over seven times.
The Bears lost their conference opener for the first time in five seasons.
The Terriers were 26 of 30 from the free-throw line and made 50.9 percent from the floor.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ria'n Holland was 7-for-12 from the field with 23 points overall while also hitting four of his five 3-point attempts.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer was outscored in second chance points, 15-3, in the contest.
RECORDS UPDATE
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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Ria'n Holland led Mercer (6-8, 0-1) with four 3-pointers and 23 points. Jordan Strawberry had 18 points and seven assists.
Eric Garcia made all 16 of his free-throw attempts and scored a career-high 31 points to help Wofford (6-8, 1-0). The Terriers extended their lead to 25 points on Garcia's 3-pointer with 2:37 left in the half and never trailed.
Four starters scored in double figures for Wofford (6-8). Cameron Jackson added 14 points, Ryan Sawvell had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Fletcher Magee scored 10. The Terriers had 20 assists on 27 made field goals and only turned it over seven times.
The Bears lost their conference opener for the first time in five seasons.
The Terriers were 26 of 30 from the free-throw line and made 50.9 percent from the floor.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ria'n Holland was 7-for-12 from the field with 23 points overall while also hitting four of his five 3-point attempts.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer was outscored in second chance points, 15-3, in the contest.
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 6-8 (0-1 SoCon)
- Wofford: 6-8 (1-0 SoCon)
- Mercer: at Furman on Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
- Wofford: hosts The Citadel on Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
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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