Saturday, February 18
Charleston, S.C.
1:00 PM ET
Mercer University
at
The Citadel
Mercer Returns to Action at The Citadel Saturday
2/17/2017 10:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – After a break from midweek action this week Mercer returns to action Saturday at The Citadel to wrap up a three-game road swing. Tipoff in Charleston is set for 1 p.m. at McAlister Field House.
GAMEDAY DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18 | 1 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-15, 6-8 SoCon) at The Citadel (9-18, 2-12 SoCon)
Location: Charleston, S.C. | McAlister Field House (6,000)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Matt Dean (play-by-play), Nate Kurant (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | The Citadel
Series History
Saturday's game marks the 19th game in a series that dates back to 1925 and spans two conferences - the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and now the Southern Conference. The Bears are 5-1 against the Bulldogs in Charleston and 14-4 against The Citadel overall. That includes an 82-66 win over the Cadets in Macon earlier this season.
Last Time Out - ETSU 88, Mercer 71 on Feb. 11 in Johnson City, Tenn.
Jordan Strawberry, who went 10 for 12 from the free throw line, led Mercer with 16 points and Ria'n Holland scored 15 points but the Bears could not slow down a hot-shooting ETSU team in an 88-71 loss in Johnson City Saturday afternoon.
T.J. Cromer sank five 3-pointers and scored 28 points to propel East Tennessee State to its fifth consecutive win over Mercer (12-15, 6-8 Southern Conference).
Devontavius Payne added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Desonta Bradford had 11 for ETSU (20-6, 10-3), which shot 53 percent from the field and never trailed.
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The Last Time vs. The Citadel - Mercer 82, The Citadel 66 on Jan. 28, 2017 in Macon
Demetre Rivers had 23 points to lead Mercer to its 12th straight victory over The Citadel as the Bears pulled away in the second half for an 82-66 win on Saturday.
Stephon Jelks had a season-best 14 rebounds while dishing out a career-high eight assists for Mercer (10-12, 4-5 Southern Conference). Mercer's defense held the nation's highest-scoring offense to its fewest points in a league game this year as the Bulldogs scored almost 30 points less than their per game average this season.
Rivers hit 7 of 10 from the floor. Ria'n Holland added 17 points and Jordan Strawberry hit 3 of 4 from distance to total 15 points for Mercer.
The Citadel (9-14, 2-8) jumped out to an early lead but Mercer led 33-30 at the break. The Bulldogs' Quayson Williams drilled a 3 to tie at 41 with 15:31 left in the game. Ryan Johnson answered with a jumper and Holland nailed a trey as Mercer pulled away to lead 63-50 following a Strawberry 3-point jumper with 8:01 left.
Ezekiel Balogun led The Citadel with 16 points.
The Word is Out
Don't poke the Bears. Or, more appropriately, don't foul the Bears. Mercer ranks 281st in the country and eighth in the Southern Conference in free throw attempts this season with only 463 trips to the line. That is probably because when they do, it is...
...Practically Free Money
Mercer ranks 19th in the nation in free throw pct. with a 76.2 success rate at the line. More impressively, the Southern Conference itself is a quality free throw shooting league as while the Bears are in the top 25 in free throw shooting, Mercer ranks only second in the Southern Conference behind Wofford (sixth nationally, 77.7 pct.) while The Citadel ranks 27th (75.7).
Bears Own the Boards
For the second consecutive year, Mercer has been leading the Southern Conference in rebounding margin. Mercer enters this game ranked second in the conference (and 39th in the nation) in rebounding margin with a +5.5 differential after leading the SoCon last season with a +8.8 margin. Should that mark hold Mercer would be the first team since Appalachian State (2008-09 and 2009-10) to lead the SoCon in rebounding margin in back-to-back years.
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New Hotel for Mercer This Season
This season, Mercer seems to have a new place to dwell. It's located at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel. At least, that is what it feels like as the Bears have played in 11 one-possession games this season, inexplicably falling eight times on last-second shots.
Those wounds are fresh too when you consider five of those losses have come in the last eight games.
Mercer in One-Possession Games (3-8)
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It's Nothing New
Close games seem to be the norm for the Bears. Mercer played in 1 games decided by one possession last season, posting a 7-3 record in those games. That adds to the growing number of close games this season (see above).
Close Games under Bob Hoffman (by season)
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Leading the SoCon
Mercer's 11 one-possession games this season leads all Southern Conference teams. Samford is not far behind Mercer with nine one-possession games. Alas, fate has smiled warmer upon the Bulldogs as Samford is 5-4 in those one-possession games.
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How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer 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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GAMEDAY DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18 | 1 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-15, 6-8 SoCon) at The Citadel (9-18, 2-12 SoCon)
Location: Charleston, S.C. | McAlister Field House (6,000)
TV: ESPN3 | Watch ESPN
TV Talent: Matt Dean (play-by-play), Nate Kurant (analyst)
Radio: Mercer Sports Network (Flagship: 97.3 FM The Bull Icons) | iHeartRadio
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron (play-by-play)
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer | SoCon | The Citadel
Series History
Saturday's game marks the 19th game in a series that dates back to 1925 and spans two conferences - the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and now the Southern Conference. The Bears are 5-1 against the Bulldogs in Charleston and 14-4 against The Citadel overall. That includes an 82-66 win over the Cadets in Macon earlier this season.
Last Time Out - ETSU 88, Mercer 71 on Feb. 11 in Johnson City, Tenn.
Jordan Strawberry, who went 10 for 12 from the free throw line, led Mercer with 16 points and Ria'n Holland scored 15 points but the Bears could not slow down a hot-shooting ETSU team in an 88-71 loss in Johnson City Saturday afternoon.
T.J. Cromer sank five 3-pointers and scored 28 points to propel East Tennessee State to its fifth consecutive win over Mercer (12-15, 6-8 Southern Conference).
Devontavius Payne added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Desonta Bradford had 11 for ETSU (20-6, 10-3), which shot 53 percent from the field and never trailed.
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The Last Time vs. The Citadel - Mercer 82, The Citadel 66 on Jan. 28, 2017 in Macon
Demetre Rivers had 23 points to lead Mercer to its 12th straight victory over The Citadel as the Bears pulled away in the second half for an 82-66 win on Saturday.
Stephon Jelks had a season-best 14 rebounds while dishing out a career-high eight assists for Mercer (10-12, 4-5 Southern Conference). Mercer's defense held the nation's highest-scoring offense to its fewest points in a league game this year as the Bulldogs scored almost 30 points less than their per game average this season.
Rivers hit 7 of 10 from the floor. Ria'n Holland added 17 points and Jordan Strawberry hit 3 of 4 from distance to total 15 points for Mercer.
The Citadel (9-14, 2-8) jumped out to an early lead but Mercer led 33-30 at the break. The Bulldogs' Quayson Williams drilled a 3 to tie at 41 with 15:31 left in the game. Ryan Johnson answered with a jumper and Holland nailed a trey as Mercer pulled away to lead 63-50 following a Strawberry 3-point jumper with 8:01 left.
Ezekiel Balogun led The Citadel with 16 points.
The Word is Out
Don't poke the Bears. Or, more appropriately, don't foul the Bears. Mercer ranks 281st in the country and eighth in the Southern Conference in free throw attempts this season with only 463 trips to the line. That is probably because when they do, it is...
...Practically Free Money
Mercer ranks 19th in the nation in free throw pct. with a 76.2 success rate at the line. More impressively, the Southern Conference itself is a quality free throw shooting league as while the Bears are in the top 25 in free throw shooting, Mercer ranks only second in the Southern Conference behind Wofford (sixth nationally, 77.7 pct.) while The Citadel ranks 27th (75.7).
Bears Own the Boards
For the second consecutive year, Mercer has been leading the Southern Conference in rebounding margin. Mercer enters this game ranked second in the conference (and 39th in the nation) in rebounding margin with a +5.5 differential after leading the SoCon last season with a +8.8 margin. Should that mark hold Mercer would be the first team since Appalachian State (2008-09 and 2009-10) to lead the SoCon in rebounding margin in back-to-back years.
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New Hotel for Mercer This Season
This season, Mercer seems to have a new place to dwell. It's located at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel. At least, that is what it feels like as the Bears have played in 11 one-possession games this season, inexplicably falling eight times on last-second shots.
Those wounds are fresh too when you consider five of those losses have come in the last eight games.
Mercer in One-Possession Games (3-8)
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Score |
| Nov. 25 | vs. East Carolina | W | 70-66 |
| Nov. 26 | vs. Akron | L | 63-65 |
| Dec. 18 | at Auburn | L | 74-76 |
| Dec. 22 | La Salle | L (3OT) | 96-98 |
| Dec. 28 | at Kennesaw State | W | 80-76 |
| Jan. 2 | at Furman | L | 69-71 |
| Jan. 11 | at Samford | W | 68-65 |
| Jan. 14 | Chattanooga | L | 68-70 |
| Jan. 19 | at UNCG | L | 66-68 |
| Feb. 2 | Furman | L | 68-70 |
| Feb. 4 | Wofford | L | 62-65 |
It's Nothing New
Close games seem to be the norm for the Bears. Mercer played in 1 games decided by one possession last season, posting a 7-3 record in those games. That adds to the growing number of close games this season (see above).
Close Games under Bob Hoffman (by season)
| 2016-17 | 11 (3-8) | 2011-12 | 6 (2-4) |
| 2015-16 | 10 (7-3) | 2010-11 | 8 (5-3) |
| 2014-15 | 11 (5-6) | 2009-10 | 9 (3-6) |
| 2013-14 | 7 (5-2) | 2008-09 | 8 (5-3) |
| 2012-13 | 5 (1-4) |
Leading the SoCon
Mercer's 11 one-possession games this season leads all Southern Conference teams. Samford is not far behind Mercer with nine one-possession games. Alas, fate has smiled warmer upon the Bulldogs as Samford is 5-4 in those one-possession games.
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How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer 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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Players Mentioned
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