Saturday, December 2
Memphis, Tenn.
5 p.m.
Mercer University
5-4
81
at
83
Memphis
4-2
1
2
OT 1
OT 2
F
Mercer
31
32
12
6
81
Memphis
22
41
12
8
83
Team Stats
MER
MEM
FG%
.441
.343
3FG%
.444
.206
FT%
.739
.882
RB
40
40
TO
16
9
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMercer Upset Bid Falls Short Against Memphis In Double Overtime
12/2/2017 8:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn.- Mercer's bid to upset Memphis on the Tigers' home floor fell short as the Bears dropped a heartbreaking 83-81 double overtime decision Saturday afternoon at the FedEx Forum.
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Memphis' Jeremiah Martin converted a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining in the second extra period to give the Tigers an 83-81 lead. Following a series of timeouts, Mercer's Jordan Strawberry launched a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have given the Bears the victory; however, the shot was long and Memphis escaped with the win.
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The Bears jumped out to an early 31-22 first half lead, thanks in large part to a 10-0 run they put together starting at the 6:30 mark when Strawberry connected on a three-point basket. Memphis battled back in the second half, as both teams put together several runs. Jaylen Stowe's two free throws at the 6:57 mark lifted Mercer to a 56-46 advantage. The Tigers responded with a 9-0 run to slice the lead to one. Memphis' Jimario Rivers knocked in two free throws with 4:08 left to knot the score at 57-57. Stephon Jelks, who led Mercer in scoring with 17 points before fouling out in overtime, turned in a big three-point play at the 2:01 mark to give Mercer a 62-57 lead. The Tigers' Jamal Johnson drained a long range three pointer with time running out on the shot clock to tie the game 63-63 with 27 seconds remaining. Strawberry's three-point attempt was off with two seconds left and the game went to overtime.
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Strawberry knocked in a pair of three-pointers in the first overtime to provide Mercer with a 69-67 lead. Demetre Rivers hit two free throws with 1:41 left in overtime to give the visitors a 73-68 advantage. When Memphis hit two free throws with six seconds remaining, Strawberry took the ball hard to the basket and drew a foul with 1.2 seconds to go. The senior calmly sank both free throws to tie the score at 75-75 and force the second overtime.
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Desmond Ringer's basket with 13 seconds left in the second extra period tied the score at 81-81. Memphis' Martin made good on both of his free throws with less than three seconds remaining to provide the home team with the final margin of victory, 83-81.
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Mercer made 12 three pointers on the night, with Jelks hitting four of six behind the arc. Memphis countered with excellent marksmanship from the free throw line, converting 30 of 34 attempts from the charity stripe.
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Besides Jelks, other Bears scoring in double figures included Ethan Stair (13); Strawberry (11); and Ringer (11). Cory Kilby led Mercer in rebounding with nine on the evening. Strawberry handed out six assists while Stair came up with four steals. Ria'n Holland, Mercer's leading scorer with a 20.2 per game average, missed his third straight game with an injury.
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Memphis was led in scoring by Martin (19) and Rivers (18). Kyvon Davenport grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Tigers.
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Mercer's record now stands at 5-4 while Memphis is 4-2 on the season. The Bears return home to face Florida A&M Saturday, Dec. 9 with tipoff set for 4 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Jordan Strawberry was the player of the game for the Bears, playing a seaon-high 41 minutes, while recording 11 points, a team-high six assists and five rebounds.
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QUOTABLES
Opening statement
"Our team gave amazing effort. The willingness to want to win and do the things you needed to do to win was exceptional tonight. I love who they are. I love how they are growing together. We just needed to make a couple more plays. We weren't able to finish it off like you want. Against a storied program and a hall of fame coach in a fantastic building, you have to find ways to make that one free throw here or that one rebound to finish it off. We weren't able to do that tonight. There are some plays that I would like to have back that I would have called different things. There are probably a couple of guys that would want a possession back themselves. You cannot question, no question whatsoever, that those guys left everything out on the floor. They wanted to win this game with everything they had. They gave amazing effort. "
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On the impact of Steph fouling out…
"It always hurts you when you lose a guy who is making plays. Ryan and Cory did some good things. Des got in foul trouble early on. Jalen gave us a lot of energy. That's the kind of team we have. We need all of our guys playing with great confidences and belief in themselves and in each other and I thought we took a good step today. I'm never satisfied with a loss, never happy with a loss. There are things you can take away that we got better at tonight and that we can take from this game as we move into conference play several weeks from now."
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Four of our starters had season-highs or career-highs in minutes played, how crucial will it be to get this week of rest?
"We're off two days this week. They have a hard week at Mercer. It's serious about education and they have a hard week. This week might be harder than finals sometimes. We'll give them opportunities to be successful as they have been in the past. Rest will be important."
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---Head Coach Bob Hoffman
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NOTABLES
The Bears will have a week off before hosting Florida A&M next Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. and will be Star Wars Day at Hawkins Arena.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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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Memphis' Jeremiah Martin converted a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining in the second extra period to give the Tigers an 83-81 lead. Following a series of timeouts, Mercer's Jordan Strawberry launched a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have given the Bears the victory; however, the shot was long and Memphis escaped with the win.
Â
The Bears jumped out to an early 31-22 first half lead, thanks in large part to a 10-0 run they put together starting at the 6:30 mark when Strawberry connected on a three-point basket. Memphis battled back in the second half, as both teams put together several runs. Jaylen Stowe's two free throws at the 6:57 mark lifted Mercer to a 56-46 advantage. The Tigers responded with a 9-0 run to slice the lead to one. Memphis' Jimario Rivers knocked in two free throws with 4:08 left to knot the score at 57-57. Stephon Jelks, who led Mercer in scoring with 17 points before fouling out in overtime, turned in a big three-point play at the 2:01 mark to give Mercer a 62-57 lead. The Tigers' Jamal Johnson drained a long range three pointer with time running out on the shot clock to tie the game 63-63 with 27 seconds remaining. Strawberry's three-point attempt was off with two seconds left and the game went to overtime.
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Strawberry knocked in a pair of three-pointers in the first overtime to provide Mercer with a 69-67 lead. Demetre Rivers hit two free throws with 1:41 left in overtime to give the visitors a 73-68 advantage. When Memphis hit two free throws with six seconds remaining, Strawberry took the ball hard to the basket and drew a foul with 1.2 seconds to go. The senior calmly sank both free throws to tie the score at 75-75 and force the second overtime.
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Desmond Ringer's basket with 13 seconds left in the second extra period tied the score at 81-81. Memphis' Martin made good on both of his free throws with less than three seconds remaining to provide the home team with the final margin of victory, 83-81.
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Mercer made 12 three pointers on the night, with Jelks hitting four of six behind the arc. Memphis countered with excellent marksmanship from the free throw line, converting 30 of 34 attempts from the charity stripe.
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Besides Jelks, other Bears scoring in double figures included Ethan Stair (13); Strawberry (11); and Ringer (11). Cory Kilby led Mercer in rebounding with nine on the evening. Strawberry handed out six assists while Stair came up with four steals. Ria'n Holland, Mercer's leading scorer with a 20.2 per game average, missed his third straight game with an injury.
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Memphis was led in scoring by Martin (19) and Rivers (18). Kyvon Davenport grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Tigers.
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Mercer's record now stands at 5-4 while Memphis is 4-2 on the season. The Bears return home to face Florida A&M Saturday, Dec. 9 with tipoff set for 4 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Jordan Strawberry was the player of the game for the Bears, playing a seaon-high 41 minutes, while recording 11 points, a team-high six assists and five rebounds.
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QUOTABLES
Opening statement
"Our team gave amazing effort. The willingness to want to win and do the things you needed to do to win was exceptional tonight. I love who they are. I love how they are growing together. We just needed to make a couple more plays. We weren't able to finish it off like you want. Against a storied program and a hall of fame coach in a fantastic building, you have to find ways to make that one free throw here or that one rebound to finish it off. We weren't able to do that tonight. There are some plays that I would like to have back that I would have called different things. There are probably a couple of guys that would want a possession back themselves. You cannot question, no question whatsoever, that those guys left everything out on the floor. They wanted to win this game with everything they had. They gave amazing effort. "
Â
On the impact of Steph fouling out…
"It always hurts you when you lose a guy who is making plays. Ryan and Cory did some good things. Des got in foul trouble early on. Jalen gave us a lot of energy. That's the kind of team we have. We need all of our guys playing with great confidences and belief in themselves and in each other and I thought we took a good step today. I'm never satisfied with a loss, never happy with a loss. There are things you can take away that we got better at tonight and that we can take from this game as we move into conference play several weeks from now."
Â
Four of our starters had season-highs or career-highs in minutes played, how crucial will it be to get this week of rest?
"We're off two days this week. They have a hard week at Mercer. It's serious about education and they have a hard week. This week might be harder than finals sometimes. We'll give them opportunities to be successful as they have been in the past. Rest will be important."
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---Head Coach Bob Hoffman
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NOTABLES
- Four players scored in the double figures for the Bears.
- Ethan Stair earned his third start of the season, scoring 13 points from the field. Stair went 6 for 10 from the field.
- Senior forward Stephon Jelks lead the team in scoring with 17 total points, going 5 for 9 from the field while knocking down a season-high four three pointers on the night.
- Cory Kilby provided a solid spark off the bench playing 24 minutes, while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds, as well as recording eight points and a block.
- Mercer's bench outscored Memphis', 20-17.
- After a slow start attacking the glass, the Bears grabbed 40 rebounds on the night. Memphis also tallied 40 rebounds as a squad.
- Nine different players saw action for the Bears, with eight of them getting on the scoreboard.
- Mercer: 5-4
- Memphis: 4-2
The Bears will have a week off before hosting Florida A&M next Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. and will be Star Wars Day at Hawkins Arena.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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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