Saturday, February 3
Macon, Ga.
4:30 P.M.
Mercer University
11-13, 4-7
73
vs
65
Wofford
16-8, 7-4
1
2
F
Wofford
26
39
65
Mercer
24
49
73
Team Stats
WOF
MER
FG%
.357
.463
3FG%
.310
.440
FT%
.889
.571
RB
38
34
TO
11
5
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Tames Terriers Behind Career Night from "Mamba"
2/3/2018 5:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Behind a career-high 22 points from Ross Cummings, the Mercer Bears snapped a four-game losing streak and knocked off Wofford 73-65 Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
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Cummings led a second-half comeback for Mercer, scoring 17 points and going five for five behind the three point arc after intermission. Desmond Ringer scored 16 while Demetre Rivers tallied 10 points, all in the second half. The Bears shot a red-hot 61.5 percent from the floor in the second stanza and were 8-11 on three pointers after the break. Mercer's defense also turned up the heat over the final 20 minutes, as Wofford shot just 39 percent from the field and was 3-14 from behind the three point line following intermission.
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Both teams experienced cold shooting early on. Ringer's tip in gave Mercer a 9-5 lead at the 14:01 mark. Back to back three point baskets by Trevor Stumpe and a three-pointer by Nathan Hoover ignited a 16-0 Wofford run and lifted the Terriers to a 21-9 advantage. Ringer's basket at the 8:05 mark snapped a 5:33 scoring drought for the Bears and Mercer closed out the half with a 15-5 run to head into the locker room trailing 26-24. Each team shot just 32 percent from the field in the opening stanza; however, the Terriers were able to connect on six three point baskets while the Bears made just three behind the arc.
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Mercer's offense warmed up the second 20 minutes of play. A three pointer by Rivers tied the score, 28-28, with 17:55 remaining. Wofford went back out to a five point lead, 36-31, but then the Bears scored eight answered points and regained the lead, 39-36, on a three point basket by Cummings at the 14:25 mark. Cummings continued to be a threat behind the arc and hit another trey lifting the Bears to a 50-48 lead with 8:53 remaining. Rivers sank another three with 3:22 left to put Mercer up 64-59. Cummings drained a three at the 1:17 mark to give the Bears a 67-61 lead. The Bears hit six clutch free throws down the stretch to provide the home team with some breathing room and Mercer came away with the 73-65 win.
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Jordan Strawberry continued his solid floor play for the Bears, handing out five assists. The Bears dished out 15 assists while committing just five turnovers.
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Wofford's Fletcher Magee, the SoCon's leading scorer, tallied 23 points but was just 2-11 on three point attempts. Stumpe delivered a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Terriers.
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With the victory, Mercer improves to 11-13 overall and 4-7 in the SoCon. Wofford is now 16-8 and 7-4 in conference play.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sophomore guard Ross Cummings was the player of the game for the Bears posting a career-high 22 points. Cummings went 8 for 10 from the field, including a scorching 6 for 8 from behind the arc. Cummings also grabbed five rebounds and two steals.
QUOTABLES
Ross Cummings – "I knew I needed to make some shots in order for us to win. It was a team effort. (On the last three pointer he made): "Coach told me to drive past the guy, but I stepped back and hit the three. This was a huge win for us; we needed this win. This should give us some momentum and really help carry us over the next few games."
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Coach Hoffman – "Our defense was really good and we only had five turnovers. Coach (Mike) Young is as good as it gets. (Fletcher) Magee is outstanding; but we had some guys step up and we completed this game. We needed some momentum and we needed something good to happen for this team. Mac Brydon came off the bench and made some really good plays for us. The big three Ross made in the corner; it wasn't exactly how we drew it up; but he has no fear and he made some big plays for us. It's a credit to him; his practice habits kept getting better and when the opportunity knocked, he took advantage of it. We played well together the second half. Great crowd here today; they were a real help to us. We just needed momentum and it's a big thing in basketball. I think this is a big opportunity for us this week, we need to have some good practices in order to take on a good Chattanooga team this Saturday."
NOTABLES
The Bears return to action Saturday, Feb. 10 with a road game at Chattanooga. Tipoff time is 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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Cummings led a second-half comeback for Mercer, scoring 17 points and going five for five behind the three point arc after intermission. Desmond Ringer scored 16 while Demetre Rivers tallied 10 points, all in the second half. The Bears shot a red-hot 61.5 percent from the floor in the second stanza and were 8-11 on three pointers after the break. Mercer's defense also turned up the heat over the final 20 minutes, as Wofford shot just 39 percent from the field and was 3-14 from behind the three point line following intermission.
Â
Both teams experienced cold shooting early on. Ringer's tip in gave Mercer a 9-5 lead at the 14:01 mark. Back to back three point baskets by Trevor Stumpe and a three-pointer by Nathan Hoover ignited a 16-0 Wofford run and lifted the Terriers to a 21-9 advantage. Ringer's basket at the 8:05 mark snapped a 5:33 scoring drought for the Bears and Mercer closed out the half with a 15-5 run to head into the locker room trailing 26-24. Each team shot just 32 percent from the field in the opening stanza; however, the Terriers were able to connect on six three point baskets while the Bears made just three behind the arc.
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Mercer's offense warmed up the second 20 minutes of play. A three pointer by Rivers tied the score, 28-28, with 17:55 remaining. Wofford went back out to a five point lead, 36-31, but then the Bears scored eight answered points and regained the lead, 39-36, on a three point basket by Cummings at the 14:25 mark. Cummings continued to be a threat behind the arc and hit another trey lifting the Bears to a 50-48 lead with 8:53 remaining. Rivers sank another three with 3:22 left to put Mercer up 64-59. Cummings drained a three at the 1:17 mark to give the Bears a 67-61 lead. The Bears hit six clutch free throws down the stretch to provide the home team with some breathing room and Mercer came away with the 73-65 win.
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Jordan Strawberry continued his solid floor play for the Bears, handing out five assists. The Bears dished out 15 assists while committing just five turnovers.
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Wofford's Fletcher Magee, the SoCon's leading scorer, tallied 23 points but was just 2-11 on three point attempts. Stumpe delivered a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Terriers.
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With the victory, Mercer improves to 11-13 overall and 4-7 in the SoCon. Wofford is now 16-8 and 7-4 in conference play.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sophomore guard Ross Cummings was the player of the game for the Bears posting a career-high 22 points. Cummings went 8 for 10 from the field, including a scorching 6 for 8 from behind the arc. Cummings also grabbed five rebounds and two steals.
QUOTABLES
Ross Cummings – "I knew I needed to make some shots in order for us to win. It was a team effort. (On the last three pointer he made): "Coach told me to drive past the guy, but I stepped back and hit the three. This was a huge win for us; we needed this win. This should give us some momentum and really help carry us over the next few games."
Â
Coach Hoffman – "Our defense was really good and we only had five turnovers. Coach (Mike) Young is as good as it gets. (Fletcher) Magee is outstanding; but we had some guys step up and we completed this game. We needed some momentum and we needed something good to happen for this team. Mac Brydon came off the bench and made some really good plays for us. The big three Ross made in the corner; it wasn't exactly how we drew it up; but he has no fear and he made some big plays for us. It's a credit to him; his practice habits kept getting better and when the opportunity knocked, he took advantage of it. We played well together the second half. Great crowd here today; they were a real help to us. We just needed momentum and it's a big thing in basketball. I think this is a big opportunity for us this week, we need to have some good practices in order to take on a good Chattanooga team this Saturday."
NOTABLES
- Senior forward Desmond Ringer scored 16 points on 7 for 11 from the field. Ringer also grabbed a team-high six rebounds, two assists and a block.
- Senior forward Demetre Rivers scored in the double-figures, posting 10 points while grabbing two rebounds and a steal.
- The Bears forced Wofford to 11 turnovers scoring 15 points off the Terriers' mistakes.
- The Bears shot 46.3% (25-54) from the field, and were lights out from deep going 11 for 25 (44%).
- Mercer out-scored Wofford 24 to 14 in points in the paint.
- The game was a back and forth battle with 15 lead changes and was tied 10 separate times.
- Mercer:Â (10-13, 3-7 SoCon)
- Wofford:Â (16-7, 7-3 SoCon)
The Bears return to action Saturday, Feb. 10 with a road game at Chattanooga. Tipoff time is 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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