Mercer University
19-13
The Citadel
10-22
Mercer Wins Thriller Over The Citadel in Opening Round of SoCon Tourney
3/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Mercer University men's basketball team pulled out a tight 71-69 win over The Citadel in the first round of the Southern Conference Tourney on Friday evening in Asheville, N.C. The Bears were led in scoring by Demetre Rivers, who finished with 16 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
With the game tied with a minute to go, Phillip Leonard grabbed a rebound and raced down the court to finish at the rim and give Mercer a 69-67 lead with 43 seconds to play. The Citadel responded, as Derrick Henry was fouled and hit two free throws to level the game with 22 seconds left on the clock.
Mercer then ran a flawless set that resulted in Ethan Stair finding a wide open Stephon Jelks under the basket to put the Bears on top for good at 71-69 with five seconds remaining. However, the drama was not over, as Mercer was called for a foul with 2.0 seconds on the game clock. Fortunately for the Bears, The Citadel missed the front end of the one-and-one and Mercer survived with the 71-69 victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Phillip Leonard recorded the first double-double of his career, nearly notching a triple-double. The Tulsa, Okla., native finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Leonard shot 5-for-8 from the floor. The 11 rebounds are a career high for the senior.
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Bears did a great job of limiting the turnovers while effectively sharing the ball. The Orange and Black finished with 15 assists to just seven turnovers. Leonard led Mercer with seven and Stair added four.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"Our guys have been practicing hard and our coaches have continued to stay positive. We try to keep pushing them. The credit goes to these guys. The play that Phil Leonard made at the end where he ran the ball down and went to the rim was an unbelievable pass. Ethan Stair had a great pass to Stephon Jelks at the end. But that one play where it was between two people, Phil was not going to be denied. He got all the way to the glass. That's what a senior is supposed to do, and he did it."
NOTABLES
- The Orange and Black are now 13-4 in the all-time series with The Citadel. The Bears finished the season series 3-0 against the Bulldogs.
- Head Coach Bob Hoffman is now 7-1 in opening games of conference tournaments in his Mercer tenure, including wins in seven straight.
- Mercer outrebounded The Citadel 43-36, marking the 25th time the Bears have grabbed more boards than the opposition.
- The Mercer bench scored 25 points in the game and has now scored 20+ points in 21 games this season.
- The Bears dominated the paint, outscoring the Bulldogs 40-26 down low.
- Rivers has now reached double digits in points in 16 games this season.
- Leonard scored 10+ points for the 19th time this season and recorded a career-high 11 rebounds, marking his first double-digit rebounding performance of his career.
- Freshman Jaylen Stowe gave the Bears a lift off the bench in the first, matching his career high in points with seven.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer moves to 19-13 on the season, while The Citadel finishes 10-22 on the year.
UP NEXT
No. 7 Mercer will play No. 2 ETSU in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tourney on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. in U.S. Cellular Arena in Asheville, N.C. For tickets and information, click here.
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.
