Saturday, February 25
Chattanooga, Tenn.
5:00 PM ET
Mercer University
14-16/8-9
64
at
54
Chattanooga
19-10/10-7
1
2
F
Mercer
17
47
64
Chattanooga
23
31
54
Team Stats
MER
UTC
FG%
.413
.375
3FG%
.385
.167
FT%
.875
.667
RB
36
28
TO
14
10
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Mercer's 47-point 2nd Half Upends Chattanooga 64-54
2/25/2017 8:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Jordan Strawberry scored 17 points and Ria'n Holland added 15, and Mercer erupted in the second half to beat Chattanooga 64-54 on Saturday.
Mercer (14-16, 8-9 Southern) trailed 23-17 at halftime but took the lead for good with 7:23 to play when Holland sank three foul shots after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, and the Bears led 46-45.
The Bears shot 13 of 23 (56.5 percent) from the field and made 16 of 18 free throws in the second half. Chattanooga (19-10, 10-7) managed just 4-for-23 shooting (17) from 3-point range and was 8 for 12 from the free-throw line.
Desmond Ringer scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Mercer, which outrebounded Mercer 36-27.
Justin Tuoyo scored 14 points and had six rebounds and Casey Jones had 11 points and five boards for the Mocs, who have now lost three straight.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Normally this goes to a player who posts an incredible stat line or sets a season high but the performance of JJ N'Ganga Saturday evening was too good not to highlight. N'Ganga scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds in 16 minutes of action on the court while dishing out one assist. While those may not be season or career highs, his energy and performance held Chattanooga's big men in check while he was on the court and is arguably his best performance on the court since Mercer hosted Davidson in November.
STAT OF THE GAME
56.5 percent. That is what the Bears shot in the second half of Saturday's game as Mercer was 13 of 23 over the final 20 minutes. The Bears came out hot after halftime after shooting 26.1 percent in the first half. That 13-for-23 mark includes a combined 5-for-10 performance on 3-point shooting. Mercer was also 16 of 18 from the free throw line in the second half.
COACH HOFFMAN'S COMMENTS
"That was an amazing second half by our guys after being shut down in the first half. We had 17 points [in the first half], couldn't get a basket. It was a slugfest. In the second half we got some separation with some tremendous hustle plays that I thought gave us energy and separation to be able to get the win. It was just a fantastic team win tonight."
On JJ N'Ganga:
"It was fun to see JJ N'Ganga be able to jump up and make a few plays. He has been hurt all year. I was hoping he would be able to play a little earlier in the year but maybe it is going to be at the right time."
On Jordan Strawberry:
"Jordan has been so solid all year. He loves the moment and the big moment, which you would probably guess. He has lived in them all his life and seen them all his life but he doesn't shy away from those. There has been a few gone against us but he definitely steps into the moment but you have to be able to do that if you want to win big games."
RECORDS UPDATE
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.
Mercer (14-16, 8-9 Southern) trailed 23-17 at halftime but took the lead for good with 7:23 to play when Holland sank three foul shots after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, and the Bears led 46-45.
The Bears shot 13 of 23 (56.5 percent) from the field and made 16 of 18 free throws in the second half. Chattanooga (19-10, 10-7) managed just 4-for-23 shooting (17) from 3-point range and was 8 for 12 from the free-throw line.
Desmond Ringer scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Mercer, which outrebounded Mercer 36-27.
Justin Tuoyo scored 14 points and had six rebounds and Casey Jones had 11 points and five boards for the Mocs, who have now lost three straight.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Normally this goes to a player who posts an incredible stat line or sets a season high but the performance of JJ N'Ganga Saturday evening was too good not to highlight. N'Ganga scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds in 16 minutes of action on the court while dishing out one assist. While those may not be season or career highs, his energy and performance held Chattanooga's big men in check while he was on the court and is arguably his best performance on the court since Mercer hosted Davidson in November.
STAT OF THE GAME
56.5 percent. That is what the Bears shot in the second half of Saturday's game as Mercer was 13 of 23 over the final 20 minutes. The Bears came out hot after halftime after shooting 26.1 percent in the first half. That 13-for-23 mark includes a combined 5-for-10 performance on 3-point shooting. Mercer was also 16 of 18 from the free throw line in the second half.
COACH HOFFMAN'S COMMENTS
"That was an amazing second half by our guys after being shut down in the first half. We had 17 points [in the first half], couldn't get a basket. It was a slugfest. In the second half we got some separation with some tremendous hustle plays that I thought gave us energy and separation to be able to get the win. It was just a fantastic team win tonight."
On JJ N'Ganga:
"It was fun to see JJ N'Ganga be able to jump up and make a few plays. He has been hurt all year. I was hoping he would be able to play a little earlier in the year but maybe it is going to be at the right time."
On Jordan Strawberry:
"Jordan has been so solid all year. He loves the moment and the big moment, which you would probably guess. He has lived in them all his life and seen them all his life but he doesn't shy away from those. There has been a few gone against us but he definitely steps into the moment but you have to be able to do that if you want to win big games."
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 14-16 (8-9 SoCon)
- Chattanooga: 19-10 (10-7 SoCon)
- Mercer: hosts Samford on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
- Chattanooga: at The Citadel on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. (ASN)
- Mercer now leads the all-time series against Chattanooga, 35-32.
- Saturday's game marked Mercer's first win in Chattanooga since 2012 and the first time the Bears have won in Chattanooga since joining the Southern Conference. UTC leads in games played in Chattanooga 18-11.
- The win ends a four-game streak in the series that had gone the Mocs' way.
- Ria'n Holland scored 15 points in the game marking the 15th consecutive game he has reached double-digit points.
- Mercer's 21 free throws made ties a season high in a conference game.
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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