Mercer University
19-14
East Tennessee State
22-10
Mercer Defeated by ETSU in SoCon Quarterfinals, 81-65
3/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Mercer University men's basketball team fell to No. 2 Buccaneers of ETSU on Saturday evening in Asheville, N.C. in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
ETSU got off to a hot start from the field and opened up a 12-point lead at 17-5. The Bears responded in a huge way, reeling off an 18-0 run to take their largest lead of the half at 23-17. The Orange and Black knocked down three shots from beyond the arc in the stretch to kickstart the offense. The final nine minutes of the first frame were close and ETSU managed to take a 37-35 lead into the half.
Over the first four minutes of the second half the two sides battled to a standstill with ETSU holding a 44-43 advantage with 16 minutes left to play. The Buccaneers then used an 8-0 run to extend their lead to nine points. Mercer responded with a basket to cut the deficit to seven points, but unfortunately for the Bears, they were unable to get any closer the rest of the way. ETSU went on to win by a final of 81-65.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Phillip Leonard carried the Mercer offense on Saturday evening. The senior point guard scored 22 points, just one shy of matching his career high. Leonard finished 7-of-14 from the floor, including 7-of-11 from the free throw line. The Tulsa, Okla., native also led the team in rebounding (7) and assists (5).
MERCER STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Bears pulled off one of its best runs of the season, outscoring the Buccaneers 18-0 in the first half. Leonard scored five of the points during the spurt and Cory Kilby, Stephon Jelks and Jordan Strawberry each hit threes in the run.
NOTABLES
- The Orange and Black are now 8-16 in the all-time series with ETSU.
- Head Coach Bob Hoffman is 11-7 in conference tournament games in his Mercer tenure.
- Mercer outrebounded The Citadel 34-31, marking the 26th time the Bears have grabbed more boards than the opposition.
- With 11 points, Rivers has now reached double digits in points in 17 games this season.
- Leonard scored 20+ points for the second time in his career and 10+ points for the 20th time this season.
- Freshman Ethan Stair added 10 points, marking the 10th time he has finished in double figures.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer moves to 19-14 on the season, while ETSU improves to 22-10 on the year.
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.
