Mercer University
18-6, 8-3SoCon
The Citadel
10-14, 7-4SoCon
Bears Blow by Bulldogs in Front of Record Crowd
2/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University men's basketball team remained unbeaten in Hawkins Arena on Saturday afternoon with an 88-72 victory over The Citadel. The Mercer faithful was out in full force, setting a Hawkins Arena attendance record with 4,772 fans packed in the house.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer led from start to finish, jumping out to a 14-2 advantage in the opening minutes of play. The Citadel drew within six points at the 11:48 mark with the score 18-12 but never managed to draw any closer. The Bears pushed their lead to 13 at the half, taking a 43-30 lead into the intermission.
The Orange and Black kept their foot on the gas in the final 20 minutes, pushing the lead to as many as 23 points with 8:33 left to play, as sophomore forward Demetre Rivers knocked down a jumper to make the score 70-47. The Bears cruised the rest of the way and went on to win by a final of 88-72.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Andrew Fishler had a breakout game for Mercer, as he posted the first double-double performance of his career in just 19 minutes of action. The junior forward finished with a career-high 20 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting and a personal best 10 rebounds. Cumming, Ga., native also added a team-high two blocks in the victory.
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Bears grabbed a season-high 60 rebounds in the win over The Citadel. The 60 boards set a Hawkins Arena record, besting the previous mark of 58 which previously occurred two times. Four different Mercer players pulled down eight or more boards with Fishler leading the way with 10. Rivers was second on the team for the evening with nine rebounds and Phillip Leonard and Stephon Jelks each added eight. All 11 players who saw action grabbed at least one rebound.
NOTABLES
- Mercer improves to a perfect 11-0 at Hawkins Arena, as The Citadel narrowly became the first opposing team to eclipse 70 points in Macon this season.
- The Bears are now 12-4 against the Bulldogs in the all-time series.
- The Orange and Black swept The Citadel in the season series for the second straight season and are 4-0 against the Bulldogs in SoCon matchups.
- The Bears scored 80+ points for the third consecutive game, the longest streak of the season.
- Mercer pulled down a Hawkins Arena record 60 rebounds in the contest, eclipsing the 50-carom mark for the sixth time this season. The Bears, who rank eighth nationally in rebounding margin, posted a 24-rebound surplus on Saturday, the team's largest margin since out-rebounding Hiwassee by 27 earlier this year.
- The Bears dominated the paint once again, pouring in 54 points in the paint for a 30-point advantage. The 54 points in the paint was the team's highest mark since scoring 60 points in the lane in the season-opening win over Allen.
- The Orange and Black also got 35 points from its bench, while having their highest total of fast-break points since the season-opener.
- Mercer had four players reach double-figures in the scoring column, however that group also each pulled down eight boards. Fishler's double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) led the way, followed closely by Demetre Rivers (16 points, 8 rebounds), Stephon Jelks (14 points, 8 boards) and Phillip Leonard (12 points, 8 rebounds).
- Rivers' nine rebounds are a career high for the sophomore.
- Sophomore guard Jordan Strawberry matched his career high in assists with eight.
- Freshman guard Ethan Stair posted his career high in assists with five and matched his personal best mark for steals with three.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer improves to 18-6 on the season and 8-3 in SoCon play, while The Citadel falls to 10-14 on the year and 3-8 in conference action.
UP NEXT
The Bears have a quick turnaround as they host Chattanooga, the team atop the SoCon standings, on Monday evening in Hawkins Arena 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.
