Saturday, January 13
Macon, Ga.
4 P.M.
Mercer University
(8-9, 1-3)
81
vs
50
Samford
(7-11, 3-2)
1
2
F
Samford
16
34
50
Mercer
44
37
81
Team Stats
SAM
MER
FG%
.321
.484
3FG%
.269
.345
FT%
.818
.750
RB
26
43
TO
14
11
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Mercer Excels On Both Ends Of Court To Claim 81-50 Victory Over Samford
1/13/2018 6:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer turned in its best overall performance of the season by leading from start to finish in a 81-50 win over Samford on Saturday afternoon in a Southern Conference matchup at Hawkins Arena. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Mercer and gives the Bears their first conference victory of the season. It was Mercer's ninth straight win over Samford.
Â
Ria'n Holland broke out of his shooting slump to lead all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Stephon Jelks was solid on both ends of the court, turning in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Demetre Rivers chipped in 11 points, while Desmond Ringer had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Â
Jelks came up with a steal on the opening possession of the first half and converted that into a slam dunk, igniting a fast start for the Bears. Mercer scored the game's first 12 points to race out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back. Samford recovered to cut the margin to 15-7 before Mercer then went on a 14-0 run as the lead grew to 29-7. The Bears didn't let up, both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, as they stretched the lead to 44-16 at the halftime break. Holland poured in 18 first-half points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-7 behind the three-point arc. The Bears held Samford to just five field goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Â
Jordan Strawberry, sixth in the SoCon in assists, dished out a team-high seven dimes on the afternoon. The Bears dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 43-26, while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. Mercer played suffocating defense throughout the afternoon and held Samford to just 32.1 percent shooting from the floor and also forced 14 turnovers. Triston Chambers (11 points) and Justin Coleman (10) were the top scorers for Samford.
Â
Mercer improves to 8-9 overall and 1-3 in the SoCon. Samford falls to 7-11 and 3-2 in conference play.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Stephon Jelks was the player of the game for the Bears, turning in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jelks was 6-of-12 from the field. Jelks also earned an assist and steal.
QUOTABLES
"It was an amazing effort today by our basketball team. Thanks to the crowd, there was tremendous energy in the building here this afternoon. Our team played maybe 15-20 minutes of the best defense we've played. I thought how our guys competed and made play after play was just tremendous. We were really connected today. Coach (Dale) Layer did a great job helping prepare the defense. Stephon (Jelks), Ria'n (Holland), Demetre (Rivers), and Des (Ringer) all contributed and did some great things. Jordan (Strawberry) had a great floor game; I loved how we fit together tonight. Samford is really good; they just didn't shoot it very well here today. This was great fun out here today. We need to carry this over Monday night against Chattanooga because I know they'll be ready to play." – Head Coach Bob Hoffman
Â
NOTABLES
The Bears have a quick turnaround and will host conference foe Chattanooga Monday, Jan. 15 with tipoff set for 7 p.m. (ET) 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.
Â
Â
Ria'n Holland broke out of his shooting slump to lead all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Stephon Jelks was solid on both ends of the court, turning in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Demetre Rivers chipped in 11 points, while Desmond Ringer had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Â
Jelks came up with a steal on the opening possession of the first half and converted that into a slam dunk, igniting a fast start for the Bears. Mercer scored the game's first 12 points to race out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back. Samford recovered to cut the margin to 15-7 before Mercer then went on a 14-0 run as the lead grew to 29-7. The Bears didn't let up, both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, as they stretched the lead to 44-16 at the halftime break. Holland poured in 18 first-half points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-7 behind the three-point arc. The Bears held Samford to just five field goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Â
Jordan Strawberry, sixth in the SoCon in assists, dished out a team-high seven dimes on the afternoon. The Bears dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 43-26, while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. Mercer played suffocating defense throughout the afternoon and held Samford to just 32.1 percent shooting from the floor and also forced 14 turnovers. Triston Chambers (11 points) and Justin Coleman (10) were the top scorers for Samford.
Â
Mercer improves to 8-9 overall and 1-3 in the SoCon. Samford falls to 7-11 and 3-2 in conference play.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Stephon Jelks was the player of the game for the Bears, turning in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jelks was 6-of-12 from the field. Jelks also earned an assist and steal.
QUOTABLES
"It was an amazing effort today by our basketball team. Thanks to the crowd, there was tremendous energy in the building here this afternoon. Our team played maybe 15-20 minutes of the best defense we've played. I thought how our guys competed and made play after play was just tremendous. We were really connected today. Coach (Dale) Layer did a great job helping prepare the defense. Stephon (Jelks), Ria'n (Holland), Demetre (Rivers), and Des (Ringer) all contributed and did some great things. Jordan (Strawberry) had a great floor game; I loved how we fit together tonight. Samford is really good; they just didn't shoot it very well here today. This was great fun out here today. We need to carry this over Monday night against Chattanooga because I know they'll be ready to play." – Head Coach Bob Hoffman
Â
NOTABLES
- Senior guard Ria'n Holland went for 23 points on the night and has now scored 20 or more points in seven games this season.
- Senior guard Jordan Strawberry was extremely efficient with the ball tonight, dishing seven assists with only one turnover. Strawberry also tallied two points, a rebound and a steal.
- Mercer out-rebounded the Bulldogs 43 to 26.
- The Bears dished 23 assists on 31 made field goals.
- Mercer shot 48.4 percent from the field (31-of-64).
- Twelve different players saw action for the Bears, with 10 of them getting on the scoreboard.
- Mercer:Â (8-9, 1-3 SoCon)
- Samford:Â (7-11, 3-2 SoCon)
The Bears have a quick turnaround and will host conference foe Chattanooga Monday, Jan. 15 with tipoff set for 7 p.m. (ET) 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.
Â
Mercer v West Georgia VB Highlight Reel: 9/18/2025
Friday, September 19
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 4 vs Citadel)
Tuesday, September 16
Mercer 22, Wofford 21 | Postgame Press Conference (9/13/25)
Sunday, September 14
Mercer Football 2025 | vs. Wofford | Full Game Highlights
Sunday, September 14
