Mercer University
6-10, 1-3
Western Carolina
4-14, 1-4
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Players Mentioned
Cummings Fuels Mercer’s First SoCon Win of Season
1/10/2019 9:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior drops career-high 36 points in Bears’ 84-80 victory
MACON, Ga. – Mercer guard Ross Cummings netted a career-high 36 points to lead the Bears past Western Carolina, 84-80, en route to their first Southern Conference win of the season at Hawkins Arena on Thursday night.
Cummings scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half and sparked a rally by the Bears, who trailed by five at halftime and improved to 6-10 overall and 1-3 in league play. Mercer opened the second half on a 17-point run, largely as a result of six Catamount (4-14, 1-4 SoCon) turnovers before the first media timeout.
Two consecutive steals by Jaylen Stowe – who tied a career-high with four in the game – led to four fast-break points from Marcus Cohen and Ethan Stair before the Catamounts called their first of two quick timeouts with 19:11 on the clock. Mercer reclaimed the lead, 47-46, on a layup by Cummings. By the time Western Carolina scored its first points of the second half, the Bears owned a 10-point lead, 58-48.
After Cummings hit a pair of free throws to extend the Bears' lead to 11 with 8:40 remaining, the Catamounts quickly rallied back with 15 of the next 21 points to bring them within two. It was all Cummings down the stretch, however, as he scored seven of Mercer's final nine points and also assisted on the other bucket, which was scored by Fardaws Aimaq.
Western Carolina hit six of its final eight shots in the first half and entered the intermission with a 46-41 advantage over the Bears. Mercer's largest deficit in the first half was nine points, 46-37, with just over one minute left as Carlos Dotson scored on a layup. Djordje Dimitrijevic nailed a jumper inside the paint with three seconds left to bring the Bears within five points at halftime.
Mercer's first-half offensive production was largely powered by Cummings and Ethan Stair, who combined for 21 of the Bears' first 23 points and 27 of their 41 first-half points. Cummings was electric to open the game, hitting four three-pointers and reaching 15 points by the 11:43 mark. Mercer led 22-20 at the first media timeout of the contest and the Bears hit six of their first eight three-point attempts.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
It was the Mamba Show at Hawkins Arena on Thursday night. The junior guard tallied career-highs of 36 points and 12 field goals made, including seven from behind the arc. Twenty-one of Cummings' 36 points came in the second half.
NOTABLES
» Cummings' 36 points were the most by a Mercer player since Jakob Gollon scored 37 against Valparaiso on Nov. 29, 2013.
» Jaylen Stowe remained consistent on the court, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and an assist.
» Ethan Stair led the team in minutes played (37), recording 14 points, three steals, three boards and a block.
» Mercer was red-hot from the floor, shooting 56.4% on 31-55 field goals and 45% on 9-20 from deep.
» Mercer forced 17 turnovers capitalizing for 21 points off turnovers and 13 fast break points.
» The Bears dominated the paint, outscoring Western Carolina 47-28 inside the blocks.
» Mercer has defeated Western Carolina in two consecutive meetings. The all-time series is tied, 8-8.
QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "It was a really big win for us tonight. They came out and were hitting shots, like we knew they were going to. They were grabbing rebounds, like we knew they could do also. Second half was just fantastic how we started defensively. We played solid and went on a 17-0 run and that is really what got us the win today. Tonight we finally finished down the stretch and we will keep growing and build off this win. I am thankful we were able to find a way to get it done. We just need to keep getting better, ETSU will come in here rolling after a win over The Citadel. Saturday will be a great afternoon of basketball and we hope to have another packed house."
RECORDS UPDATE
» Mercer: 6-10 (1-3 SoCon)
» Western Carolina: 4-14 (1-4 SoCon)
UP NEXT
» Mercer: Hosts ETSU (Saturday, Jan. 12, 4:30 p.m.)
» Western Carolina: at The Citadel (Saturday, Jan. 12, 1 p.m.)
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.
