Friday, December 21
Macon, Ga.
7 p.m.
Mercer University
5-7, 0-1
77
vs
73
UNCW
4-9, 0-0
1
2
F
UNCW
33
40
73
Mercer
31
46
77
Team Stats
UNCW
MER
FG%
.417
.529
3FG%
.259
.478
FT%
.800
.600
RB
35
28
TO
11
11
STL
2
4
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Late Heroics Power Mercer Past UNCW, 77-73
12/21/2018 9:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bears rally from second-half deficit to snap a three-game skid
MACON, Ga. – Freshman Luke Hamilton hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining and knocked down a pivotal free throw moments later as Mercer defeated UNCW 77-73 at Hawkins Arena on Friday night.
Â
With the game tied at 71, Hamilton hit his third three-pointer of the game to give Mercer (5-7) a lead it never relinquished. Hamilton followed the shot by hitting 1-of-2 free throws. After the Seahawks (4-9) pulled within two points, 75-73, on a layup by Kai Toews, but Ross Cummings – who scored a team-high 18 points – would seal the game with two free throws with six seconds left.
Â
Mercer shot 52 percent from the field en route to snapping a three-game losing streak. Three Bears – Cummings (18), Hamilton (10) and Jaylen Stowe (10) – scored in double-figures.
Â
A jumper by the Seahawks' Jeantal Cylla tied the game at 66-66 with 4:04 left and capped a seven-point run for UNCW. Coming out of a media timeout, Cummings regained Mercer the lead with a layup with just over three minutes on the clock. Two possessions later, Cummings fed Stowe for another layup to make it a 70-66 advantage.
Â
Trailing 50-44 with 12:42 remaining in the contest, Mercer got a spark from its bench after head coach Bob Hoffman switched his rotation in favor of Hamilton, Victor Bafutto, DJ Peavy, Daniel Love and CJ Williamson. The five Bears led a furious comeback over the next four minutes, outscoring UNCW 15-1 to take a 59-51 lead. Hamilton keyed the run with consecutive three-pointers that tied the game at 50 and gave Mercer a 53-50 advantage.
Â
Mercer trailed 33-31 at halftime despite shooting 54 percent from the field (12-of-22) – 14 percent better than UNCW – in the first half. The Seahawks tallied 10 more shots than Mercer in the first half but hauled in seven offensive rebounds and outrebounded Mercer 17-12 overall. Seven Bears scored over the first 20 minutes of play, including four with five-plus points.
Â
The Bears locked down on defense over the final three minutes of the first half, holding UNCW to 1-of-7 shooting from the field. Cummings' second three-pointer of the game tied the contest at 31-31 with 1:21 on the clock before UNCW's Jaylen Sims knocked down two free throws before halftime.
Â
Both teams traded blows over the first 10 minutes of the contest as UNCW held a one-point lead, 19-18, at the second media timeout (10:36). Mercer shot 7-for-12 from the field – including 4-of-6 from three-point range – to open the game. Ethan Stair hit a pair of the Bears' first four three-pointers while Djordje Dimitrijevic and Cummings added one apiece.
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Luke Hamilton earned his stripes in front of the home crowd on Friday, scoring a career-high 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from behind the arc. The freshman also pulled down four rebounds and hit 1-of-2 free throw attempts.
Â
NOTABLES
» Friday's game was the first between Mercer and UNCW since 1977. Mercer improved to 3-4 all-time against the Seahawks.
» Luke Hamilton made all three of his shots from the field, all coming from three-point range.
» Mercer was 11-for-23 from three-point range. It is the fourth time this season and first time since Nov. 20 that Mercer has tallied 10-plus made three-pointers.
» Mercer shot 52 percent from the field, its best since shooting 53 percent at NC State on Nov. 24.
» Mercer's 46 second-half points are its third most this season.
» Jaylen Stowe had his ninth double-figure scoring game with 10 points.
» Ross Cummings had his fifth game with 15-plus points and 10th game with at least 10 points.
Â
QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "We have lost a few games that were close at the end like this. Our guys brought the energy in the second half. The freshmen stepped up and made some big time plays down the stretch. We looked a little tired and I thought I would change it up and put some of the young guys in and it payed off. They gave our team the juice we needed.
Â
"Luke hit a big time shot there at the end. He's a shooter and that's what he does. It was a great win for us tonight. Anytime you can win and get a few days off to spend with your family and rest, that's a huge blessing. We're thankful for all the people that came out tonight to support us."
Â
RECORDS UPDATE
» Mercer: 5-7
» UNCW: 4-9
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
With the game tied at 71, Hamilton hit his third three-pointer of the game to give Mercer (5-7) a lead it never relinquished. Hamilton followed the shot by hitting 1-of-2 free throws. After the Seahawks (4-9) pulled within two points, 75-73, on a layup by Kai Toews, but Ross Cummings – who scored a team-high 18 points – would seal the game with two free throws with six seconds left.
Â
Mercer shot 52 percent from the field en route to snapping a three-game losing streak. Three Bears – Cummings (18), Hamilton (10) and Jaylen Stowe (10) – scored in double-figures.
Â
A jumper by the Seahawks' Jeantal Cylla tied the game at 66-66 with 4:04 left and capped a seven-point run for UNCW. Coming out of a media timeout, Cummings regained Mercer the lead with a layup with just over three minutes on the clock. Two possessions later, Cummings fed Stowe for another layup to make it a 70-66 advantage.
Â
Trailing 50-44 with 12:42 remaining in the contest, Mercer got a spark from its bench after head coach Bob Hoffman switched his rotation in favor of Hamilton, Victor Bafutto, DJ Peavy, Daniel Love and CJ Williamson. The five Bears led a furious comeback over the next four minutes, outscoring UNCW 15-1 to take a 59-51 lead. Hamilton keyed the run with consecutive three-pointers that tied the game at 50 and gave Mercer a 53-50 advantage.
Â
Mercer trailed 33-31 at halftime despite shooting 54 percent from the field (12-of-22) – 14 percent better than UNCW – in the first half. The Seahawks tallied 10 more shots than Mercer in the first half but hauled in seven offensive rebounds and outrebounded Mercer 17-12 overall. Seven Bears scored over the first 20 minutes of play, including four with five-plus points.
Â
The Bears locked down on defense over the final three minutes of the first half, holding UNCW to 1-of-7 shooting from the field. Cummings' second three-pointer of the game tied the contest at 31-31 with 1:21 on the clock before UNCW's Jaylen Sims knocked down two free throws before halftime.
Â
Both teams traded blows over the first 10 minutes of the contest as UNCW held a one-point lead, 19-18, at the second media timeout (10:36). Mercer shot 7-for-12 from the field – including 4-of-6 from three-point range – to open the game. Ethan Stair hit a pair of the Bears' first four three-pointers while Djordje Dimitrijevic and Cummings added one apiece.
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Luke Hamilton earned his stripes in front of the home crowd on Friday, scoring a career-high 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from behind the arc. The freshman also pulled down four rebounds and hit 1-of-2 free throw attempts.
Â
NOTABLES
» Friday's game was the first between Mercer and UNCW since 1977. Mercer improved to 3-4 all-time against the Seahawks.
» Luke Hamilton made all three of his shots from the field, all coming from three-point range.
» Mercer was 11-for-23 from three-point range. It is the fourth time this season and first time since Nov. 20 that Mercer has tallied 10-plus made three-pointers.
» Mercer shot 52 percent from the field, its best since shooting 53 percent at NC State on Nov. 24.
» Mercer's 46 second-half points are its third most this season.
» Jaylen Stowe had his ninth double-figure scoring game with 10 points.
» Ross Cummings had his fifth game with 15-plus points and 10th game with at least 10 points.
Â
QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "We have lost a few games that were close at the end like this. Our guys brought the energy in the second half. The freshmen stepped up and made some big time plays down the stretch. We looked a little tired and I thought I would change it up and put some of the young guys in and it payed off. They gave our team the juice we needed.
Â
"Luke hit a big time shot there at the end. He's a shooter and that's what he does. It was a great win for us tonight. Anytime you can win and get a few days off to spend with your family and rest, that's a huge blessing. We're thankful for all the people that came out tonight to support us."
Â
RECORDS UPDATE
» Mercer: 5-7
» UNCW: 4-9
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 Football Press Conference (Week 7 vs Princeton)
Monday, October 06
Mercer 45 | Samford 21 Post Game Press Conference 10//5/25
Sunday, October 05
Mercer Football 2025 | vs. Samford | Full Game Highlights
Sunday, October 05
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 6 vs Samford)
Tuesday, September 30
