Saturday, March 4
Asheville, N.C.
8:30 PM
Mercer University
15-17
66
vs
73
East Tennessee State
25-7
1
2
F
Mercer
35
31
66
ETSU
34
39
73
Team Stats
MER
ETSU
FG%
.361
.463
3FG%
.348
.308
FT%
1.000
.679
RB
34
36
TO
7
7
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
4
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Mercer Falls in SoCon Quarterfinals, 73-66
3/4/2017 11:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Demetre Rivers scored 18 points, Jordan Strawberry added 16 and the Bears were perfect from the free throw line but Mercer couldn't withstand a second half charge by ETSU, falling 73-66 in the Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville Saturday evening.
Mercer (15-17) led by 13 early in the contest. An 11-2 run to end the first frame cut the margin to one, 35-34, heading into intermission.
The Bears went through an 11:57 stretch in the second half where they failed to score a field goal, but kept within range of ETSU by connecting on eight consecutive free throw attempts.
ETSU (25-7), which recorded a season-high 11 blocks, was led by Desonta Bradford's 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Tevin Glass chipped in 15 points and three blocks.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Demetre Rivers scored a team-best 18 points in a 7-for-17 performance, hitting 3 of 7 3-pointers in the game and sinking his only free throw attempt. He also dished out two assists and was credited with a blocked shot.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer set a school record by shooting a perfect 14-for-14 (100 percent) from the free throw line in the game.
COACH HOFFMAN'S COMMENTS
"Our guys played their tails off. We had a couple loose balls. We didn't quite go all the way, but we fought really hard. We made play after play, but weren't really able to get much going in the second half. They played really tough and physical defense and they're really good at it. They're one of the best defensive teams in the league. We weren't able to get to the free-throw line in the first half. They're a tremendous team and very well coached, but they beat our butts. Our guys gave every ounce of effort they had."
On difference after losing the lead in the first half
"We missed some shots. In the second half, we shot in the 20-percent range and we're not going to win many games doing that. We really scored a lot from the free-throw line in the second half. You just give credit to their team, they're a really good team. Our guys really wanted to win tonight and they showed amazing heart in what they gave out there on the floor."
RIA'N HOLLAND'S COMMENTS
On difference after losing the lead in the first half
"Our shot selection and the way we were executing fell off after the first run. They're a great defensive team, they play hard, but we just got down. It's hard to come back against a good team once you fall in that hole. We fought hard and tried to claw our way back in."
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 (15-17) led by 13 early in the contest. An 11-2 run to end the first frame cut the margin to one, 35-34, heading into intermission.
The Bears went through an 11:57 stretch in the second half where they failed to score a field goal, but kept within range of ETSU by connecting on eight consecutive free throw attempts.
ETSU (25-7), which recorded a season-high 11 blocks, was led by Desonta Bradford's 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Tevin Glass chipped in 15 points and three blocks.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Demetre Rivers scored a team-best 18 points in a 7-for-17 performance, hitting 3 of 7 3-pointers in the game and sinking his only free throw attempt. He also dished out two assists and was credited with a blocked shot.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer set a school record by shooting a perfect 14-for-14 (100 percent) from the free throw line in the game.
COACH HOFFMAN'S COMMENTS
"Our guys played their tails off. We had a couple loose balls. We didn't quite go all the way, but we fought really hard. We made play after play, but weren't really able to get much going in the second half. They played really tough and physical defense and they're really good at it. They're one of the best defensive teams in the league. We weren't able to get to the free-throw line in the first half. They're a tremendous team and very well coached, but they beat our butts. Our guys gave every ounce of effort they had."
On difference after losing the lead in the first half
"We missed some shots. In the second half, we shot in the 20-percent range and we're not going to win many games doing that. We really scored a lot from the free-throw line in the second half. You just give credit to their team, they're a really good team. Our guys really wanted to win tonight and they showed amazing heart in what they gave out there on the floor."
RIA'N HOLLAND'S COMMENTS
On difference after losing the lead in the first half
"Our shot selection and the way we were executing fell off after the first run. They're a great defensive team, they play hard, but we just got down. It's hard to come back against a good team once you fall in that hole. We fought hard and tried to claw our way back in."
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 15-17 (1-3 neutral)
- ETSU: 24-7 (4-0 neutral)
- Mercer: Season concluded.
- ETSU: faces No. 7 Samford in the semifinals on Sunday, March 5
- Mercer concludes the season at 15-17
- Mercer is now 2-3 all-time in Southern Conference tournament games.
- The Bears now trail the all-time series against ETSU, 19-8. The Bucs have now won six consecutive in the series.
- Mercer successfully converted all 14 of its free throw attempts, setting a school record for the best free throw percentage in a 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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