Wednesday, January 24
Johnson City, Tenn.
7 p.m.
Mercer University
10-11, 3-5SoCon
75
at
84
ETSU
17-4, 8-0SoCon
1
2
F
Mercer
35
40
75
ETSU
39
45
84
Team Stats
MER
ETSU
FG%
.467
.511
3FG%
.250
.500
FT%
.765
.821
RB
28
29
TO
12
13
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Mercer Battles Hard But Comes Up Short In 84-75 Loss At ETSU
1/24/2018 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Mercer couldn't overcome a hot three-point shooting East Tennessee State team as the Bears fell 84-75 to the Southern Conference leading Buccaneers Wednesday evening at Freedom Hall. ETSU was on fire behind the three point line, hitting 13 of 26 from behind the arc to help seal its 11th straight victory.
Â
Mercer senior forward Stephon Jelks joined the school's exclusive 1,000-point club in the first half. Jelks becomes the 39th Bear to eclipse the 1,000-point scoring mark. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds on the evening.
Â
Desmond Ringer led the Bears in scoring with 21, hitting all nine of his field goal attempts. Freshman Marcus Cohen tallied a career-high 16 points for Mercer. The Bears outscored the Bucs 40-20 in the paint; however, it was ETSU's ability to hit the three point shot that proved to be the difference in the outcome.
Â
ETSU's Jalan McCloud led all scorers with 25 points, including six of seven three point baskets. Devontavius Payne scored 18 while Desonta Bradford chipped in 15. ETSU improves to 17-4 overall and is undefeated in SoCon play at 8-0.
Â
The score remained close in the first half, as there were nine lead changes and four ties in the opening 20 minutes of play. ETSU took advantage of the three point basket, draining eight three balls in the first stanza, to open up a 39-35 lead at the break. McCloud nailed all four of his three point shots, including one at the halftime buzzer, to lead the way with 14 points. Cohen led Mercer in scoring with 10 points at the half on five of eight shooting from the field.
Â
ETSU started fast in the second half, opening up a 46-39 lead thanks to McCloud's fifth three pointer at the 16:37 mark. Mercer battled back, as Demetre Rivers converted a four-point play two minutes later to shave the lead to 48-46. ETSU took an eight point lead, 59-51, on a McCloud basket at the 10:11 mark. Once again, the Bears rallied to slice the margin to three, 60-57, with 8:57 remaining on a Rivers layup. ETSU answered with a 7-2 run to go back up by eight again. That lead increased to 11 as the Bucs connected on eight of nine field goal attempts over a four minute stretch. Mercer kept coming back, as Jelks scored five quick points to ignite a 6-0 Bears' run and the ETSU lead was down to 76-72 with 2:13 left. The Bucs made some big free throws down the stretch to secure the win 84-75.Â
Â
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior forward Desmond Ringer was the player of the game for the Bears as he came just short of his career-high with 21 points. Ringer was a perfect 9 for 9 from the field, including his first career three-pointer.
QUOTABLES
"I love my team and I love how they play. Our guys played with great intensity. We gave ourselves an opportunity. We only had four turnovers in the second half. We walked into a good home court advantage and we never backed down. I am proud of their effort tonight. This was a scrap and a fight; we just weren't able to get it done. We're working and while it's not always leading to W's, we're getting better at what we're doing. Marcus (Cohen) had great intensity tonight; he helped make us better. Des (Ringer) and Steph (Jelks) both played with amazing energy. Congratulations to Steph on the milestone tonight, joining the 1,000-point club; that's a great accomplishment. I'm never happy about losing, but I am encouraged by our competitive spirit and how we continue to battle."--Head Coach Bob Hoffman
Â
NOTABLES
Mercer, now 10-11 overall and 3-5 in the SoCon, returns home to Macon to host The Citadel Saturday, Jan. 27. Tipoff time at Hawkins Arena is 4 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.
Â
Â
Mercer senior forward Stephon Jelks joined the school's exclusive 1,000-point club in the first half. Jelks becomes the 39th Bear to eclipse the 1,000-point scoring mark. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds on the evening.
Â
Desmond Ringer led the Bears in scoring with 21, hitting all nine of his field goal attempts. Freshman Marcus Cohen tallied a career-high 16 points for Mercer. The Bears outscored the Bucs 40-20 in the paint; however, it was ETSU's ability to hit the three point shot that proved to be the difference in the outcome.
Â
ETSU's Jalan McCloud led all scorers with 25 points, including six of seven three point baskets. Devontavius Payne scored 18 while Desonta Bradford chipped in 15. ETSU improves to 17-4 overall and is undefeated in SoCon play at 8-0.
Â
The score remained close in the first half, as there were nine lead changes and four ties in the opening 20 minutes of play. ETSU took advantage of the three point basket, draining eight three balls in the first stanza, to open up a 39-35 lead at the break. McCloud nailed all four of his three point shots, including one at the halftime buzzer, to lead the way with 14 points. Cohen led Mercer in scoring with 10 points at the half on five of eight shooting from the field.
Â
ETSU started fast in the second half, opening up a 46-39 lead thanks to McCloud's fifth three pointer at the 16:37 mark. Mercer battled back, as Demetre Rivers converted a four-point play two minutes later to shave the lead to 48-46. ETSU took an eight point lead, 59-51, on a McCloud basket at the 10:11 mark. Once again, the Bears rallied to slice the margin to three, 60-57, with 8:57 remaining on a Rivers layup. ETSU answered with a 7-2 run to go back up by eight again. That lead increased to 11 as the Bucs connected on eight of nine field goal attempts over a four minute stretch. Mercer kept coming back, as Jelks scored five quick points to ignite a 6-0 Bears' run and the ETSU lead was down to 76-72 with 2:13 left. The Bucs made some big free throws down the stretch to secure the win 84-75.Â
Â
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior forward Desmond Ringer was the player of the game for the Bears as he came just short of his career-high with 21 points. Ringer was a perfect 9 for 9 from the field, including his first career three-pointer.
QUOTABLES
"I love my team and I love how they play. Our guys played with great intensity. We gave ourselves an opportunity. We only had four turnovers in the second half. We walked into a good home court advantage and we never backed down. I am proud of their effort tonight. This was a scrap and a fight; we just weren't able to get it done. We're working and while it's not always leading to W's, we're getting better at what we're doing. Marcus (Cohen) had great intensity tonight; he helped make us better. Des (Ringer) and Steph (Jelks) both played with amazing energy. Congratulations to Steph on the milestone tonight, joining the 1,000-point club; that's a great accomplishment. I'm never happy about losing, but I am encouraged by our competitive spirit and how we continue to battle."--Head Coach Bob Hoffman
Â
NOTABLES
- Senior forward Stephon Jelks was just short of his fifth straight double-double, posting 14 points and nine rebounds. Jelks was 4 for 9 from the field, while also recording two assists, a block and a steal.
- Freshman guard Marcus Cohen led the team in assists with five. Cohen also scored a career-high 16 points.
- Senior forward Desmond Ringer was just short of his career-high, dropping 21 points as he was a perfect 9 for 9 from the field. Ringer also knocked in his first career three-pointer.
- Junior forward Corey Kilby provided a solid spark off the bench, tallying eight rebounds, four points and a steal.
- Mercer dominated the battle inside, outscoring the Bucs 40 to 20 in between the blocks.
- The Bears shot 46.7% (28-60) from the field, but struggled behind the arc going 6 for 25 (25%).
- Mercer:Â (10-11, 3-5 SoCon)
- ETSU:Â (17-4, 8-0 SoCon)
Mercer, now 10-11 overall and 3-5 in the SoCon, returns home to Macon to host The Citadel Saturday, Jan. 27. Tipoff time at Hawkins Arena is 4 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.
Â
Mercer 38, Citadel 0 | Postgame Press Conference (9/20/25)
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v U.T. Martin VB Highlight Reel: 9/20/2025
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v North Dakota VB Highlight Reel: 9/19/2025
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v West Georgia VB Highlight Reel: 9/18/2025
Friday, September 19
