Monday, January 15
Macon, Ga.
7 P.M.
Mercer University
(9-9, 2-3)
75
vs
71
Chattanooga
(6-13, 0-6)
1
2
OT 1
F
Chattanooga
30
36
5
71
Mercer
28
38
9
75
Team Stats
UTC
MER
FG%
.434
.566
3FG%
.345
.250
FT%
.682
.857
RB
20
39
TO
8
16
STL
4
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMercer Delivers Hard-Fought 75-71 Overtime Victory Over Chattanooga
1/15/2018 7:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – In a game that saw a multitude of twists and turns, the Mercer Bears made the right plays at the right time to claim a thrilling 75-71 overtime win over Chattanooga Monday night at Hawkins Arena.
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Jordan Strawberry's 18 points, including two clutch free throws with 17 seconds left in overtime, led five Mercer players who scored in double figures. Stephon Jelks posted his second straight double-double, tallying 10 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, while Desmond Ringer had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 10 boards. Demetre Rivers went for 16 points while Ria'n Holland scored 13 for the Bears. Rodney Chatman and Nat Dixon led Chattanooga with 17 points apiece.
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For the second straight game, Mercer started fast in the opening minutes, jumping out to an early 10-4 lead. Ringer's basket at the 7:46 mark gave Mercer its largest lead of the half, 26-18. The Bears' shooting then went ice cold, as Mercer went more than 6:30 without scoring and Chattanooga closed out the half on a 12-2 run and the visitors took a 30-28 lead into the locker room. The Mocs knocked down five three point baskets in the opening 20 minutes while Mercer missed all three of their three point attempts.
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Rivers hit two quick three point baskets in the opening moments of the second half as Mercer fought back to take a 42-37 lead. The Bears' lead stretched out to 10 at 55-45 with 9:40 remaining in the contest. The Mocs stayed close; however, thanks mainly to their ability to get to the free throw line. Chattanooga's Makale Foreman hit back-to-back three point baskets with 2:50 left to tie the score at 64-64. Strawberry sank a pair of free throws to put Mercer up 66-64 with 1:03 remaining. The Mocs had the final possession in regulation and Joshua Phillips grabbed Foreman's errant three-point attempt and banked in a 15-footer with less than two seconds left on the clock to tie the score at 66-66 and send the game into overtime.
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Rivers nailed a jumper in the lane with 4:21 remaining in overtime to give the Bears the lead for good at 70-69. Moments later, Strawberry hit one of two free throws to increase the margin to 71-69. Holland knocked in a jump shot with 1:34 left to put the Bears up by four, 73-69.
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Chatman's layup with 1:13 left closed the gap to two at 73-71 before Strawberry's two free throws with 17 seconds left gave the Bears a 75-71 advantage. UTC's David Jean-Baptiste missed a three-pointer with six seconds remaining and Holland grabbed the rebound to seal the victory.
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Mercer outrebounded UTC 39-20 and outscored the Mocs 46-14 in the paint as the Bears went inside to get the bulk of their scoring.
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"We found a way to get it done; we went possession by possession just like we talk about in practice," said Jelks. "I thought Ria'n (Holland) kept his composure when he wasn't hitting the three point shot and found other ways to score. It felt good to be on the other end of the spectrum to win a close game like this. It gives us confidence and helps us know what to do in these type of situations."
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The Bears improve to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in the Southern Conference. UTC drops its second straight overtime contest and falls to 6-13 and 0-6 in the league.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Desmond Ringer was the player of the game for the Bears, turning in his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ringer went 6-for-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Ringer has now tallied 51 rebounds through the first five SoCon contests.
QUOTABLES
"Our guys persevered and found a way to get it done when we needed to. They (UTC) make you hit a lot of guarded shots; they shrink the floor and play great team defense. Coach (Lamont) Paris has done a great job with their team. It was a "bear", definitely, to get in there and get a basket. We shot the two-point baskets pretty well; we couldn't get the three-point shot to work for us.
"Steph (Jelks) and Des (Ringer) were big on the boards for us tonight. We needed this win. Finding a way to win like this helps give us some momentum. We didn't start as well as we needed to on team defense. We had a little lull there in the first half where we couldn't score … We got 46 points in the paint and we were able to get the ball inside. They (UTC) are a tremendous defensive team and we couldn't get a good look on the three point basket. I love how Des and Steph competed on the glass and we're going to have to continue doing that. Every possession became very critical down the stretch and I'm thankful we found a way to win. They (UTC) may be shorthanded but the players they have are good players. I'm glad we found a way to get it done against a very stingy, tough-minded defensive team. Our team was uplifted by this victory tonight. We found a way to finish the game and we displayed the tenacity we had to show in order to win here tonight." – Head Coach Bob Hoffman
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NOTABLES
Mercer continues SoCon play with a pair of road games this week, facing VMI Thursday, Jan. 18 in Lexington, Va. (7 p.m. ET tipoff) before facing the UNCG Saturday, Jan. 20 with start time set for 5 p.m. (ET).
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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Jordan Strawberry's 18 points, including two clutch free throws with 17 seconds left in overtime, led five Mercer players who scored in double figures. Stephon Jelks posted his second straight double-double, tallying 10 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, while Desmond Ringer had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 10 boards. Demetre Rivers went for 16 points while Ria'n Holland scored 13 for the Bears. Rodney Chatman and Nat Dixon led Chattanooga with 17 points apiece.
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For the second straight game, Mercer started fast in the opening minutes, jumping out to an early 10-4 lead. Ringer's basket at the 7:46 mark gave Mercer its largest lead of the half, 26-18. The Bears' shooting then went ice cold, as Mercer went more than 6:30 without scoring and Chattanooga closed out the half on a 12-2 run and the visitors took a 30-28 lead into the locker room. The Mocs knocked down five three point baskets in the opening 20 minutes while Mercer missed all three of their three point attempts.
Â
Rivers hit two quick three point baskets in the opening moments of the second half as Mercer fought back to take a 42-37 lead. The Bears' lead stretched out to 10 at 55-45 with 9:40 remaining in the contest. The Mocs stayed close; however, thanks mainly to their ability to get to the free throw line. Chattanooga's Makale Foreman hit back-to-back three point baskets with 2:50 left to tie the score at 64-64. Strawberry sank a pair of free throws to put Mercer up 66-64 with 1:03 remaining. The Mocs had the final possession in regulation and Joshua Phillips grabbed Foreman's errant three-point attempt and banked in a 15-footer with less than two seconds left on the clock to tie the score at 66-66 and send the game into overtime.
Â
Rivers nailed a jumper in the lane with 4:21 remaining in overtime to give the Bears the lead for good at 70-69. Moments later, Strawberry hit one of two free throws to increase the margin to 71-69. Holland knocked in a jump shot with 1:34 left to put the Bears up by four, 73-69.
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Chatman's layup with 1:13 left closed the gap to two at 73-71 before Strawberry's two free throws with 17 seconds left gave the Bears a 75-71 advantage. UTC's David Jean-Baptiste missed a three-pointer with six seconds remaining and Holland grabbed the rebound to seal the victory.
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Mercer outrebounded UTC 39-20 and outscored the Mocs 46-14 in the paint as the Bears went inside to get the bulk of their scoring.
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"We found a way to get it done; we went possession by possession just like we talk about in practice," said Jelks. "I thought Ria'n (Holland) kept his composure when he wasn't hitting the three point shot and found other ways to score. It felt good to be on the other end of the spectrum to win a close game like this. It gives us confidence and helps us know what to do in these type of situations."
Â
The Bears improve to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in the Southern Conference. UTC drops its second straight overtime contest and falls to 6-13 and 0-6 in the league.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Desmond Ringer was the player of the game for the Bears, turning in his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ringer went 6-for-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Ringer has now tallied 51 rebounds through the first five SoCon contests.
QUOTABLES
"Our guys persevered and found a way to get it done when we needed to. They (UTC) make you hit a lot of guarded shots; they shrink the floor and play great team defense. Coach (Lamont) Paris has done a great job with their team. It was a "bear", definitely, to get in there and get a basket. We shot the two-point baskets pretty well; we couldn't get the three-point shot to work for us.
"Steph (Jelks) and Des (Ringer) were big on the boards for us tonight. We needed this win. Finding a way to win like this helps give us some momentum. We didn't start as well as we needed to on team defense. We had a little lull there in the first half where we couldn't score … We got 46 points in the paint and we were able to get the ball inside. They (UTC) are a tremendous defensive team and we couldn't get a good look on the three point basket. I love how Des and Steph competed on the glass and we're going to have to continue doing that. Every possession became very critical down the stretch and I'm thankful we found a way to win. They (UTC) may be shorthanded but the players they have are good players. I'm glad we found a way to get it done against a very stingy, tough-minded defensive team. Our team was uplifted by this victory tonight. We found a way to finish the game and we displayed the tenacity we had to show in order to win here tonight." – Head Coach Bob Hoffman
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NOTABLES
- Senior guard Ria'n Holland went for 13 points on the night and has now scored double figures in every game this season.
- Senior forwards Desmond Ringer and Stephon Jelks each turned in a double-double with Ringer posting 14 points and 10 boards and Jelks providing 12 rebounds and 10 points.
- Senior guard Jordan Strawberry led the team in assists with six. Strawberry scored a team-high 18 points going 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
- Mercer out-rebounded the Mocs 39-20.
- The Bears dished 16 assists on 30 made field goals.
- Mercer dominated the paint, outscoring the Mocs 46-14 inside the blocks.
- Mercer shot a scorching 56.6% from the field (30-for-53).
- Nine different players saw action for the Bears, with seven of them getting on the scoreboard. All five starters recorded 34 or more minutes on the night.
- Mercer:Â (9-9, 2-3 SoCon)
- Chattanooga:Â (6-13, 0-6 SoCon)
Mercer continues SoCon play with a pair of road games this week, facing VMI Thursday, Jan. 18 in Lexington, Va. (7 p.m. ET tipoff) before facing the UNCG Saturday, Jan. 20 with start time set for 5 p.m. (ET).
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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