Mercer University
18-8, 8-5SoCon
Wofford
13-13, 9-4SoCon
Mercer Comeback Bid Falls Short at Wofford
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer University men's basketball team fell to the Terriers on Thursday evening by a final score of 79-70 at Wofford. The Bears mounted a second-half comeback but were unable to do enough to escape with a victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The hosts jumped out to an early lead and controlled play for the majority of the first half. The Terriers took a 14-point lead into the halftime break, leading 41-27. Wofford shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, going 15-for-25, including a 6-of-8 effort from beyond the arc.
For Mercer, senior guard Phillip Leonard and junior guard Jordan Strawberry led the Bears in scoring with six points apiece through 20 minutes of action.
The Bears started the second half on fire, connecting on eight of their first 10 shots, including four makes from beyond the arc from Rivers, to cut the deficit in half, making the score 52-45 with 14:37 left. The Orange and Black continued to claw its way back, getting to within one point of Wofford with 10:21 remaining after Lawrence Brown converted two free throws.
However, that is close as Mercer was able to get, as Wofford responded with seven consecutive points over the next two minutes to push its lead back to eight points at 64-56. The Terriers managed to close out the game and win by a final of 79-70.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
After setting a career-high in scoring on Monday against Chattanooga with 20 points, Demetre Rivers reset the mark on Thursday evening with a personal best 22 points at Wofford. The sophomore scored 17 points in the final 20 minutes, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the three-point line. Rivers also grabbed five rebounds and matched his career high in assists with four.
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
After trailing by 14 at the half, Mercer's offense clicked into gear in the second stanza. The Bears shot 51.7 percent in the final 20 minutes, going 15-for-29 from the floor. The Orange and Black scored 43 points in the final frame with Rivers and Ethan Stair combining for 27.
NOTABLES
- The Orange and Black dropped to 19-23 in the all-time series with Wofford.
- The Bears and Wofford each grabbed 32 rebounds. Mercer has recorded more or the same number of rebounds in 25-of-26 games this season.
- Mercer totaled just seven turnovers, the second fewest amount on the season.
- Demetre Rivers scored a career-high 22 points and matched his career high in assists with four.
- Ethan Stair shot 6-of-10 from the field to finish with a career-high 15 points. The freshman also matched his personal best in steals with three.
- Phillip Leonard scored 12 points. Thursday's performance marks the 15th time this season the senior has finished in double figures.
- Stephon Jelks grabbed 12 rebounds, notching his 11th game of the season of 10+ rebounds.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer drops to 18-8 on the season and 8-5 in SoCon play, while Wofford moves to 13-13 on the year and 9-4 in conference action.
UP NEXT
The Bears remain on the road to complete the South Carolina swing over the weekend with a matchup against Furman on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 4:00 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.
