Wednesday, March 14
Phoenix, AZ
10 p.m.
Mercer University
19-14, 11-7
78
at
73
Grand Canyon
22-12, 9-5
1
2
F
Mercer
36
42
78
Grand Canyon
33
40
73
Team Stats
MER
GCU
FG%
.509
.459
3FG%
.500
.269
FT%
.800
.667
RB
36
30
TO
14
8
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Prevails Over Grand Canyon 78-73 In Opening Round Of CBI
3/15/2018 12:33:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bears Advance To Tourney’s Second Round To Face North Texas
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jordan Strawberry and Ross Cummings scored 21 points apiece to lead the Mercer Bears to a gutsy 78-73 win at Grand Canyon University Wednesday night in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational.
Seventeen of Strawberry's points came in the second half, as the senior guard sank six of nine field goals and all four of his free throws after intermission.
Strawberry also dished out a game-high eight assists. Cummings was deadly behind the three point arc, hitting five of seven threes, with the Bears nailing 10 of 20 three point baskets on the evening. Demetre Rivers tallied 13 points for the Bears, while senior guard Ria'n Holland, playing for the first time since Jan. 18 when he injured his hand on the road at VMI, came off the bench to score 10 points in 20 minutes of action.
Mercer made six of its last eight field goals down the stretch and put together an 11-0 run late in the game to gain some separation from a talented Grand Canyon team. Down 65-61 with 6:11 remaining in the game, the Bears scored 11 answered points to go up 72-65 on a basket by Desmond Ringer with 2:43 left. It was a free throw shooting contest the rest of the way, as Rivers and Strawberry each sank a pair of free throws inside 30 seconds of play to help ice the victory.
Mercer led the entire first half, leading by as many as nine when Rivers slammed home a dunk at the 9:12 mark to give the Bears a 24-15 advantage. Grand Canyon proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to slice the lead to 24-22. The two teams exchanged baskets the remainder of the opening 20 minutes and Mercer took a 36-33 lead into the locker room. The Bears shot 52% from the field in the first half while GCU connected on just 41% of its field goal attempts.
GCU came out strong after halftime, scoring the first four points to claim its first lead of the game, 37-36, with 18:55 remaining. There were eight lead changes and seven ties in the second half, with GCU grabbing its biggest lead of the game, 59-53, at the 9:49 mark before Mercer rallied back to tie the game at 61-61.
Mercer shot 51% from the field and outrebounded GCU 36-30. The Antelopes were led in scoring by Keonta Vernon with 20 and Casey Benson who had 17. GCU shot 45.9% from the field but was just seven of 26 from behind the three point arc.
Mercer improves to 19-14 overall and advances to the second round of the CBI where it will face the University of North Texas Monday, March 19 in Denton, Tex. Tipoff time is set for 8 p.m. (ET). Grand Canyon finishes the season at 22-12.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Jordan Strawberry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to help fuel the Bears' offensive attack. Strawberry also handed out a team-high eight assists. He was clutch from the free throw stripe, knocking down all six of his charity tosses.
NOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "It was an amazing team effort. The guys were ready from the opening tip. We had an edge all night and we found a way to make plays. They were playing for each other and I love how we competed. Our team and coaches; everyone was ready to go. It was fun to see Ria'n (Holland) get another opportunity. He made some big plays for us and gave us one more ball handler which we needed in certain situations. They (GCU) were a great team; they were 16-2 at home and the environment was maybe as good as we've played in on the road. The atmosphere was electric tonight and our guys stuck together and got it done."
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RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer travels to Denton, Tex., to take on the University of North Texas Mean Green Monday, March 19 in second round action of the CBI. Tipoff time is slated for 8 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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Seventeen of Strawberry's points came in the second half, as the senior guard sank six of nine field goals and all four of his free throws after intermission.
Strawberry also dished out a game-high eight assists. Cummings was deadly behind the three point arc, hitting five of seven threes, with the Bears nailing 10 of 20 three point baskets on the evening. Demetre Rivers tallied 13 points for the Bears, while senior guard Ria'n Holland, playing for the first time since Jan. 18 when he injured his hand on the road at VMI, came off the bench to score 10 points in 20 minutes of action.
Mercer made six of its last eight field goals down the stretch and put together an 11-0 run late in the game to gain some separation from a talented Grand Canyon team. Down 65-61 with 6:11 remaining in the game, the Bears scored 11 answered points to go up 72-65 on a basket by Desmond Ringer with 2:43 left. It was a free throw shooting contest the rest of the way, as Rivers and Strawberry each sank a pair of free throws inside 30 seconds of play to help ice the victory.
Mercer led the entire first half, leading by as many as nine when Rivers slammed home a dunk at the 9:12 mark to give the Bears a 24-15 advantage. Grand Canyon proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to slice the lead to 24-22. The two teams exchanged baskets the remainder of the opening 20 minutes and Mercer took a 36-33 lead into the locker room. The Bears shot 52% from the field in the first half while GCU connected on just 41% of its field goal attempts.
GCU came out strong after halftime, scoring the first four points to claim its first lead of the game, 37-36, with 18:55 remaining. There were eight lead changes and seven ties in the second half, with GCU grabbing its biggest lead of the game, 59-53, at the 9:49 mark before Mercer rallied back to tie the game at 61-61.
Mercer shot 51% from the field and outrebounded GCU 36-30. The Antelopes were led in scoring by Keonta Vernon with 20 and Casey Benson who had 17. GCU shot 45.9% from the field but was just seven of 26 from behind the three point arc.
Mercer improves to 19-14 overall and advances to the second round of the CBI where it will face the University of North Texas Monday, March 19 in Denton, Tex. Tipoff time is set for 8 p.m. (ET). Grand Canyon finishes the season at 22-12.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Jordan Strawberry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to help fuel the Bears' offensive attack. Strawberry also handed out a team-high eight assists. He was clutch from the free throw stripe, knocking down all six of his charity tosses.
NOTABLES
- Ross Cummings regained his three point shooting touch and tallied 21 points on the night, making five of seven three pointers. Cummings has scored in double figures in 10 of the past 12 games.
- Demetre Rivers pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 13 points.
- Ria'n Holland played for the first time since he injured his hand in the Jan. 18 game at VMI. Holland played 20 minutes and scored 10 points. Holland has now scored in double figures in all 17 games he has played this season and in 44 of his 49 career games at Mercer.
- Mercer is now 9-6 in postseason tournament games and is 2-1 in CBI tournament games. The Bears are making their sixth postseason tournament appearance in the past seven seasons.
- Coach Bob Hoffman wins his 198th game at Mercer and is just two wins away from 200 victories with the Bears.
Coach Bob Hoffman – "It was an amazing team effort. The guys were ready from the opening tip. We had an edge all night and we found a way to make plays. They were playing for each other and I love how we competed. Our team and coaches; everyone was ready to go. It was fun to see Ria'n (Holland) get another opportunity. He made some big plays for us and gave us one more ball handler which we needed in certain situations. They (GCU) were a great team; they were 16-2 at home and the environment was maybe as good as we've played in on the road. The atmosphere was electric tonight and our guys stuck together and got it done."
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RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer:Â (19-14, 11-7 SoCon)
- Grand Canyon:Â (22-12, 9-5 WAC)
Mercer travels to Denton, Tex., to take on the University of North Texas Mean Green Monday, March 19 in second round action of the CBI. Tipoff time is slated for 8 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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