Thursday, January 18
Lexington, Va.
7 p.m.
Mercer University
10-9, 3-3
62
at
56
VMI
5-12, 0-6
1
2
F
Mercer
34
28
62
VMI
29
27
56
Team Stats
MER
VMI
FG%
.365
.352
3FG%
.320
.400
FT%
.615
.600
RB
50
31
TO
7
6
STL
2
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Mercer Downs VMI for Hoffman’s 500th Career Win
1/18/2018 6:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Va. – Stephon Jelks turned in his third consecutive double-double performance to lead Mercer to a 62-56 Southern Conference win at VMI Thursday night. It was the Bears' third straight victory and gave Mercer Head Coach Bob Hoffman his 500th career win at the men's collegiate level.
Jelks, a senior forward, tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Senior Ria'n Holland led the Bears with 16 points, 14 of those coming in the first half. Demetre Rivers scored 13 for the Bears, while Jordan Strawberry added 10 and handed out a game-high six assists. Desmond Ringer hauled in 11 rebounds as Mercer won the battle of the boards in convincing fashion, 50-31.
Mercer started fast and held a 10-point lead on three different occasions in the opening half, the last one, 21-11, at the 12:07 mark. The Keydets responded with a 13-2 run to take a one-point lead, 24-23, with 7:24 remaining. The Bears fought back and took a 34-29 advantage into the locker room at the half.
Mercer went up by 10 again, 41-31, on a basket by Jelks with 17:30 left in the second half. VMI was able to keep things close, thanks mainly to hitting a flurry of three point baskets, as 12 of the Keydets' 19 field goals on the night were from behind the arc. Bubba Parham's three-pointer at the 10:16 mark sliced Mercer's lead to 49-47. Rivers' layup with 7:10 left gave the Bears some breathing room at 53-47. Rivers scored again with 2:29 to go to lift Mercer to a 59-53 advantage before VMI's Keith Smith drained a three-pointer with 43 seconds left to trim the lead to 59-56.
Strawberry made three of four free throws down the stretch to give Mercer the 62-56 victory and sealed Coach Hoffman's milestone 500th career men's collegiate win.
VMI's Parham led all scorers with 18 while Smith had 15 for the Keydets. Mercer improved to 10-9 overall and evened its SoCon ledger at 3-3. VMI fell to 5-12 and 0-6 in the conference.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior forward Stephon Jelks was the player of the game for the Bears. For the third straight game, Jelks tallied a double-double with a team-high 11 boards and was second on the team in scoring with 13 points.
QUOTABLES
"This was a special win tonight. There's nothing like winning on the road and being around a bunch of guys that want to put forth the effort like these guys do. I've been blessed with my family and being around a bunch of great players and coaches over the years. The focus should be on these guys and that's where I want to keep it. I thought Demetre (Rivers) was special here tonight. He got to the basket and made some key plays. This is a difficult place to play and it was a hard earned win for us. Road wins, no matter what league you're in, are tough to get; and this was a tough one tonight." – Head Coach Bob Hoffman
NOTABLES
Mercer continues its SoCon road swing by traveling to Greensboro, N.C., to take on UNCG Saturday, Jan. 20. Tipoff time is 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.
Jelks, a senior forward, tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Senior Ria'n Holland led the Bears with 16 points, 14 of those coming in the first half. Demetre Rivers scored 13 for the Bears, while Jordan Strawberry added 10 and handed out a game-high six assists. Desmond Ringer hauled in 11 rebounds as Mercer won the battle of the boards in convincing fashion, 50-31.
Mercer started fast and held a 10-point lead on three different occasions in the opening half, the last one, 21-11, at the 12:07 mark. The Keydets responded with a 13-2 run to take a one-point lead, 24-23, with 7:24 remaining. The Bears fought back and took a 34-29 advantage into the locker room at the half.
Mercer went up by 10 again, 41-31, on a basket by Jelks with 17:30 left in the second half. VMI was able to keep things close, thanks mainly to hitting a flurry of three point baskets, as 12 of the Keydets' 19 field goals on the night were from behind the arc. Bubba Parham's three-pointer at the 10:16 mark sliced Mercer's lead to 49-47. Rivers' layup with 7:10 left gave the Bears some breathing room at 53-47. Rivers scored again with 2:29 to go to lift Mercer to a 59-53 advantage before VMI's Keith Smith drained a three-pointer with 43 seconds left to trim the lead to 59-56.
Strawberry made three of four free throws down the stretch to give Mercer the 62-56 victory and sealed Coach Hoffman's milestone 500th career men's collegiate win.
VMI's Parham led all scorers with 18 while Smith had 15 for the Keydets. Mercer improved to 10-9 overall and evened its SoCon ledger at 3-3. VMI fell to 5-12 and 0-6 in the conference.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior forward Stephon Jelks was the player of the game for the Bears. For the third straight game, Jelks tallied a double-double with a team-high 11 boards and was second on the team in scoring with 13 points.
QUOTABLES
"This was a special win tonight. There's nothing like winning on the road and being around a bunch of guys that want to put forth the effort like these guys do. I've been blessed with my family and being around a bunch of great players and coaches over the years. The focus should be on these guys and that's where I want to keep it. I thought Demetre (Rivers) was special here tonight. He got to the basket and made some key plays. This is a difficult place to play and it was a hard earned win for us. Road wins, no matter what league you're in, are tough to get; and this was a tough one tonight." – Head Coach Bob Hoffman
NOTABLES
- Senior guard Ria'n Holland went for a team-high 16 points on the night and has now scored double figures in every game this season.
- Senior forward Stephon Jelks turned in a double-double posting 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jelks went 5-for-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. The senior also provided two assists, one block and a steal.
- Senior guard Jordan Strawberry led the team in assists with six. Strawberry also tallied 10 points and five rebounds on the night.
- Mercer out-rebounded the Keydets 50 to 31.
- The Bears dished 12 assists on 23 made field goals.
- Mercer dominated the paint, outscoring the Keydets 22-to-12 inside the blocks.
- Mercer: (10-9, 3-3 SoCon)
- VMI: (5-12, 0-6 SoCon)
Mercer continues its SoCon road swing by traveling to Greensboro, N.C., to take on UNCG Saturday, Jan. 20. Tipoff time is 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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